Lawsuits aim to hold fossil fuel companies responsible for climate change. Here's a look at some
Farmer and mountain guide Saúl Luciano Lliuya said glaciers above his hometown of Huaraz are melting, increasing the risk of catastrophic flooding. RWE, which has never operated in Peru, denies legal responsibility, arguing that climate change is a global issue caused by many contributors.
Experts say the case at the state court in Hamm, in western Germany, could set a significant precedent in the fight to hold major polluters accountable for climate change.
Here's a look at other climate cases being watched closely:
An environmental group has asked the Dutch Supreme Court to uphold a landmark lower court ruling that ordered energy company Shell to cut carbon emissions by net 45% by 2030 compared to 2019 levels.
That ruling was overturned in November by an appeals court — a defeat for the Dutch arm of Friends of the Earth and other environmental groups, which had hailed the original 2021 ruling as a victory for the climate.
Climate activists have scored several courtroom victories, including in 2015, when a court in The Hague ordered the government to cut emissions by at least 25% by the end of 2020 from benchmark 1990 levels. The Dutch Supreme Court upheld that ruling five years ago.
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The United Nations' top court held two weeks of hearings in December into what countries worldwide are legally required to do to combat climate change and help vulnerable nations fight its impacts.
The case was spurred by a group of island nations that fear they could simply disappear under rising sea waters, prompting the U.N. General Assembly asked the International Court of Justice for an opinion on 'the obligations of States in respect of climate change.'
Any decision in the case, the largest in the court's history, would be non-binding advice and could not directly force wealthy nations to act, though it could serve as the basis for other legal actions, including domestic lawsuits.
In another advisory opinion requested by small island nations, the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea last year said carbon emissions qualify as marine pollution and countries must take steps to mitigate and adapt to their adverse effects.
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Colombia and Chile are awaiting an advisory opinion from the Inter-American Court of Human Rights on whether countries are responsible for climate change harms and, if so, what their obligations are to respond on human rights grounds.
A four-day hearing was held this month in the Brazilian state of Amazonas and an opinion is expected by the end of the year.
Much of the testimony focused on indigenous rights in Latin America, including whether industries violate their rights to life and to defend their land from environmental harm.
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Dozens of U.S. states and local governments have filed lawsuits alleging that fossil fuel companies misled the public about how their products could contribute to climate change, claiming billions of dollars in damage from more frequent and intense storms, flooding, rising seas and extreme heat.
In March the U.S. Supreme Court rejected a lawsuit from Republican attorneys general in 19 states aimed at blocking climate change suits against the oil and gas industry from Democratic-led states.
And state supreme courts in Massachusetts, Hawaii and Colorado have rejected attempts by oil companies to dismiss lawsuits, allowing them to proceed in lower courts.
Even so, the Trump Justice Department recently sued Hawaii and Michigan to prevent the states from seeking damages from fossil fuel companies in state court for harms caused by climate change. The DOJ also sued New York and Vermont, challenging their climate superfund laws that would force fossil fuel companies to pay into state-based funds based on previous greenhouse gas emissions.
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The Associated Press' climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP's standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.
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NBC News
7 hours ago
- NBC News
Trump and Zelenskyy's meeting with European leaders marks a historic moment
WASHINGTON — Seven European leaders joined Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Washington on Monday in a rare display of trans-Atlantic unity. The gathering marked the first time in decades that such a broad delegation of allies had assembled at the White House under such pressing circumstances. Shortly after noon, one by one, the heads of state and NATO partners passed the White House gates, where they were met by President Donald Trump's chief of protocol, and in Zelenskyy's case, by Trump himself. Some met with Trump's special envoy for Ukraine and other officials that morning. Others made their way to the White House directly from Dulles and other airports. They were there to bolster Zelenskyy after a disastrous White House visit in February, when he clashed with Trump and Vice President JD Vance — and after Trump held a nearly three-hour one-on-one with Russian President Vladimir Putin last week. The show of support for Zelenskyy involved French President Emmanuel Macron, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Finnish President Alexander Stubb, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who pivoted from their own national agendas to present a united front as Trump seeks an urgent end to Russia's war in Ukraine. The display took place within days of Trump's meeting with Putin in Alaska and ahead of a possible Trump-brokered meeting between Putin and Zelenskyy as Trump casts himself as a potential peace broker. Inside the Oval Office on Monday, evoking a boardroom scene, Trump sat behind the Resolute desk, military flags at his back, as Zelenskyy and the European delegation faced him, as reflected in a photo shared by the White House. Made of oak timbers taken from a British ship, the desk is a hulking 19th century reminder of goodwill between important allies, a gift from Britain's Queen Victoria to the United States. Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent are seen orbiting in the background, along with senior White House staff members. There are few precedents for the gathering, which merged diplomacy with Trump's usual verve. In 1941, Franklin Roosevelt hosted Winston Churchill off the coast of Newfoundland to sign the Atlantic Charter, laying out the Allied aims for the end of World War II and meetings that would decide the fate of Europe and Asia. During the Cold War, summits in Washington helped decide the terms of German reunification. They included meetings with Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev amid a key question over whether Germany would join NATO. And in 1950, the British prime minister rushed to Washington to consult Harry Truman over fears of the possible use of nuclear weapons during the Korean War. 'Washington has often been the scene of these great moments of diplomacy. But it was the speed with which this came together that was so striking and sets this apart,' said Marc Selverstone, director of presidential studies at the University of Virginia's Miller Center of Public Affairs. 'Everyone realized this was a crisis moment.' The urgency was reflected in how quickly the past few days' events came together: Trump's talks with Putin on Friday were followed by the leaders' arrival in Washington on Monday morning. 'Every single one of them got on a plane 48 hours later and flew to the United States of America,' said White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, rushing to Washington in a bid to keep momentum toward peace in Ukraine alive. The day also offered other made-for-TV moments, as Trump escorted the leaders to a gift shop of sorts, which he dubbed the 'Monica Lewinsky room' in reference to a former president's trysts, where he showed off rows of fire engine red hats emblazoned with his campaign slogans, including one for 2028. At another point, Trump deflected a question to Zelenskyy about Ukraine's elections to joke about serving a third term himself. Told through photos shared online by his team, Trump presented a towering figure in Monday's meetings. In a picture posted by deputy chief of staff Dan Scavino, Zelenskyy stood before a map of Ukraine as Trump looked down at him. Another image posted by the White House showed Trump seated behind his historic desk, this time with Vance and Rubio before him, the phone handset resting on the desk as he talked with Putin. For Zelenskyy, Monday also offered a reset. After a tense Oval Office meeting this year, he struck a more diplomatic tone Monday, offering Trump and others his thanks more than a dozen times, including for the invitation, for Trump's efforts 'to stop killings and stop this war,' for Melania Trump's letter to Putin asking him to protect children, for a program to purchase American weapons and to the European partners for their support. On his X account, he offered profuse, continued thanks well into Tuesday. Wearing a suit instead of his usual military fatigues, he told Trump as he greeted him that the attire was 'the best I had.' 'I love it,' Trump said, ultimately sharing a video of the warm exchange on his social media platform, Truth Social. Asked what his message to the people of Ukraine was, Trump told a reporter, 'We love them.' Vance, who had publicly clashed with Zelenskyy in their last White House meeting, also sought to smooth relations, posting a photo of their handshake. Finland's participation carried its own symbolic weight, with one reminder of a path out of a seemingly intractable conflict with a nuclear-powered Soviet Union, which Stubb referred to directly. 'We, of course, have our own historical experience with Russia from World War II, the Winter War and the War of Continuation,' Stubb said. 'And if I look at the silver lining of where we stand right now, we found a solution in 1944, and I'm sure we'll be able to find a solution in 2025.'
Yahoo
11 hours ago
- Yahoo
Despite Delays Suriname's Oil Boom is Fast Becoming a Reality
It is a long time coming, but the impoverished South American country of Suriname is poised to enjoy the fruits of a major oil boom. For nearly a decade, the government, in the capital Paramaribo, hungrily eyed neighboring Guyana's drilling success, which transformed that country into the world's newest petrostate. Yet Suriname's offshore drilling, despite yielding positive results, repeatedly experienced uncertainty and delays. This took place as the economic situation in the former Dutch colony deteriorated, causing to President Chandrikapersad Santokhi, a former police commissioner, to lose office. Newly appointed president opposition leader Jennifer Geerlings-Simons faces uncertainty over the economy and the anticipated oil boom. Paramaribo, since the 2020 pandemic, has been battling yet another deep financial crisis, which spilled over into violence at the start of 2023 as the cost of living spiraled out of control. Protestors stormed Suriname's National Assembly in February 2023 as then-President Chan Snatokhi's International Monetary Fund (IMF) mandated economic austerity hit hard in a country where nearly a fifth of the population lives below the poverty line. Despite the hardships triggered by the austerity program, which included slashing government spending, removing energy subsidies, and sharply devaluing the Suriname dollar, there are signs of success. The IMF Executive Board, after reviewing the arrangement in March 2025 stated: 'The objectives of the program have been broadly achieved. The economy is growing, inflation is receding, public debt is declining, the autonomy and governance of the central bank have been strengthened, and investor confidence is returning.' Related: Energy Transition Stalls as Oil Super-Cycle Risks Return There is, however, still a long way to go. The IMF outlined the need for Paramaribo to enforce fiscal discipline, strengthen tax administration, improve regulatory transparency, and bolster governance mechanisms. Despite notable progress, these enhancements were insufficient for President Santokhi. During July 2025, he lost office due to the fallout from those stringent economic austerity measures and ongoing corruption allegations. It was President Santokhi who saw Suriname's burgeoning offshore oil boom as a silver bullet for a crisis-prone economy, which over the last decade contracted sharply. For 2015, Suriname reported gross domestic product (GDP) of $5.13 billion, yet by 2024 it had plunged 13% to $4.46 billion. This marked decline is hurting the population of one of South America's poorest countries, where one in six people live in poverty During January 2020, APA, the then operator of Block 58, announced the first discovery in Block 58 at the Maka Central-1 well. This was followed by four more discoveries, with the most recent being the Krabdagu discovery made during 2022. Source: APA Corporation EnerCom Oil & Gas Conference. Since the last discovery, a series of appraisal wells were drilled at the Sapakara and Krabdagu discoveries, which confirmed the presence of a reservoir containing an estimated 750 million barrels of crude oil. The oil discovered in Suriname was determined to be light and sweet with API gravities of between 35 degrees and 60 degrees with a low sulfur content. Those are important attributes in a world with a focus on producing high-quality low low-emission fuels, which are cheaper and easier to manufacture from lighter sweet crude oil. First oil from one of the five significant oil discoveries made in offshore Block 58 was initially expected in 2026, although this did not occur, with TotalEnergies postponing development of the oil acreage. Poor exploration results, including several dry wells, inconsistent seismic data, and concerns about the reservoir related to a high gas-to-oil ratio, impacted the multi-billion-dollar final investment decision (FID). For those reasons, TotalEnergies at the end of 2022 postponed the FID to further appraise and better define the oilfield's attributes. Finally, in October 2024, TotalEnergies and APA announced the $10.5 billion FID for developing the Sapakara and Krabdagu discoveries, targeting first oil in 2028. The latest news from TotalEnergies shows development of Block 58 is well underway. The project, dubbed GranMorgu, is located 93 miles offshore east of Paramaribo, targeting a reservoir containing recoverable oil resources of over 750 million barrels. Source: APA Corporation Third Quarter 2024 Financial and Operational Supplement. GranMorgu will be comprised of one drillship and a semi-submersible rig with 16 production wells and 16 injector wells. The facility is designed with nameplate capacity of 220,000 barrels per day and storage for up to 2.1 million barrels. GranMorgu will yield 220,000 barrels of crude oil and 450 million cubic feet of natural gas each day. Commissioning and first oil are projected for 2028, which represents a two-year delay from Paramaribo's original timeline. The carbon intensity of oil extraction from GranMorgu is forecast to be low. This is an important attribute in a low carbon world where governments are substantially reducing greenhouse emissions and energy companies pledge to be net carbon neutral. This includes TotalEnergies, which plans to be net carbon zero across its worldwide operations by 2050. The supermajor recently confirmed the GranMorgu project fits that goal with an all-electric Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO) vessel being installed at GranMorgu. TotalEnergies is committed to no routine flaring and for all gas produced to be injected into the FPSO's tanks. For these reasons, GranMorgu is forecast to emit less than 16 kilograms of carbon per barrel of oil equivalent extracted. This is lower than the global average of 18 kilograms of carbon produced per barrel of oil equivalent lifted, but higher than neighboring Guyana, where an average of only nine kilograms of carbon is discharged per barrel. This will ensure Suriname retains its status as a global carbon sink. The 38 million acres of forest covering the former Dutch colony absorbs 8.8 million tons of carbon annually, while the country only produces seven million tons. TotalEnergies pledged to assist Paramaribo with maintaining Suriname's status as a carbon-negative country. Once GranMorgu is operational, it will generate considerable income for a fiscally challenged Paramaribo, which is struggling to find sufficient income to balance the budget while meeting sovereign debt repayments. The potential government revenue is boosted by the national oil company and industry regulator Staatsolie securing a 20% interest in GranMorgu. This stake, which is worth $2.4 billion, forms an important plank in Staatsolie's goal of tripling revenue to almost $1.8 billion before the end of this decade. While estimates vary, GranMorgu is expected to earn $16 billion to $26 billion of revenue for Paramaribo over the life of the oilfield, dwarfing Suriname's 2024 GDP of $4.46 billion. By Matthew Smith for More Top Reads From this article on Error while retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data
Yahoo
11 hours ago
- Yahoo
Trump pushes for a Putin-Zelensky meeting in White House talks about the Russia-Ukraine war: What's next?
The president wants them to meet alone before he joins a trilateral discussion, and the White House says Putin has promised direct talks with Zelensky in the coming weeks. President Trump emerged Monday from his meetings at the White House with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and seven European leaders about Russia's war in Ukraine without a peace deal. But Trump expressed optimism that he could bring Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin together at the negotiating table. If Putin and Zelensky were to meet, it would be their first face-to-face interaction since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022. Monday's talks in Washington, D.C., came three days after Trump met with Putin in Anchorage, Alaska, in a highly watched summit that also ended without a ceasefire deal. The president characterized the White House confab as 'a very good, early step' in a post on Truth Social Monday night, and said that 'arrangements' for a meeting between Putin and Zelensky were underway. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz told reporters outside the White House that Trump had persuaded Putin to meet with Zelensky "within the next two weeks." Pressed by reporters, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Tuesday that Putin had agreed to have direct talks with Zelensky in the coming weeks. She declined to give further details. Trump wants a 'trilat' with Putin and Zelensky — after they meet without him Speaking to reporters before their Oval Office sit-down, Trump and the Ukrainian president discussed the possibility of a trilateral meeting with Putin in the not-too-distant future. 'We are ready for trilateral,' Zelensky told reporters in the Oval Office. 'If we don't have a trilat, then the fighting continues,' Trump said. 'And if we do, we have a good chance — I think we have a trilat, there's a good chance of maybe ending it.' During an expanded meeting with the European leaders, Trump reiterated to Zelensky that if Monday's meeting went well, he'd set up a trilateral meeting with Putin. 'If you like, I'll go to that meeting,' Trump said. 'Not that I want to do that, but I will do that.' In his post on Truth Social on Monday night, Trump said he spoke with Putin and had begun 'the arrangements for a meeting, at a location to be determined' between Putin and Zelensky. 'After that meeting takes place,' Trump said, the three leaders would have a 'trilat.' Trump paused Monday's meetings to call Putin Trump said he planned to call Putin after Monday's discussions. But according to multiple news outlets, Trump paused his closed-door meeting with Zelensky and other European leaders to call Putin. CNN reported that the Europeans were not present for the conversation between Trump and Putin. Trump later said that it would have been "disrespectful" to Putin to make the call with the group present. In a statement, Kremlin foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov described Monday's phone conversation between Trump and Putin as 'frank and very constructive,' adding that the two leaders had agreed to appoint more senior negotiators for direct talks between Russia and Ukraine. But Ushakov did not say anything about a meeting between Putin and Zelensky, which Trump has identified as the next step in the peace process. In an interview on Fox & Friends Tuesday morning, Trump described his conversation with Putin as "a very good call." "I told him that we're going to set up a meeting with President Zelensky, and you and he will meet, and then after that meeting, if everything works out OK, I'll meet and we'll wrap it up," Trump said. "It takes, in this case, two to tango," Trump said of Putin and Zelensky. "They have to have somewhat of a relationship, otherwise we're just wasting a lot of time.' Trump says 'all of us would obviously prefer' a ceasefire after telling Zelensky it was 'unnecessary' Before his Oval Office meeting with Zelensky, Trump said that a ceasefire would be 'unnecessary' in order to reach a 'peace' agreement between Russia and Ukraine. 'I don't think you need a ceasefire,' Trump said. But during his meeting with Zelensky and European leaders about an hour later, Trump said: 'All of us would obviously prefer the immediate ceasefire while we work on a lasting peace.' The president said that a ceasefire agreement would 'immediately stop the killing' in the three-and-a-half-year conflict, before reiterating his earlier assertion that the parties could still work out a peace deal without one. "Maybe something like [a ceasefire] could happen," Trump said. "As of this moment, it's not happening." Trump is caught on a hot mic whispering that Putin 'wants to make a deal for me' Before Trump's private meeting with European leaders got underway, a hot mic caught Trump discreetly telling French President Emmanuel Macron why he is optimistic that Putin won't stand in the way of a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine. Trump implied that Putin wants his U.S. counterpart to pocket a diplomatic win. 'I think he wants to make a deal,' Trump was heard whispering to Macron in the East Room. 'I think he wants to make a deal for me, you understand that? As crazy as it sounds.' Macron, for his part, remained skeptical. 'When I look at the situation and the facts, I don't see President Putin very willing to get peace now,' Macron told NBC News on Monday after the White House discussions. 'But perhaps I'm too pessimistic.' Zelensky calls White House meetings 'truly a significant step toward ending the war' In his post on X, Zelensky said, 'This was truly a significant step toward ending the war and ensuring the security of Ukraine and our people." Zelensky did not say a meeting with Putin was imminent. But he pointed to the progress made at the White House talks. 'We are already working on the concrete content of the security guarantees,' Zelensky said. 'Today, we continue coordination at the level of leaders. There will be discussions, and we are preparing the relevant formats. We will also continue working tomorrow. National security advisors are also in constant contact now. There will be security guarantees.' He added, 'I thank all our partners for their determination and support. Ukraine feels this strength. And we will do everything to make the path to peace a reality — through partnership, through security guarantees, and through the courage of the Ukrainian people.'
