Lewis & Clark Law Review
First Page
341
Abstract
Corporations are among the most significant emitters of anthropogenic greenhouse gases, which are responsible for the existential threat of climate change. Yet accountability for corporate emitting activities has been difficult to secure, particularly where companies operate across nation-state borders or have global value chains. This Essay looks at recent developments in international law, found in a series of climate-related advisory opinions issued by international courts and tribunals, which may signal greater corporate accountability for climate harms. It argues that the recent advisory opinions of the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea, the Inter-American Court of Human Rights, and the International Court of Justice preface a “turn” towards greater corporate climate accountability, mediated through judicial interpretations of the international obligations regarding climate change that apply to nation states.
Recommended Citation
Jacqueline Peel,
A Corporate Accountability “Turn” in International Climate Litigation,
30
Lewis & Clark L. Rev.
341
(2026).
Available at:
https://lawcommons.lclark.edu/lclr/vol30/iss2/5
Included in
Business Organizations Law Commons, Environmental Law Commons, Human Rights Law Commons, International Law Commons, Law of the Sea Commons