The Paris Judicial Court's June 25, 2026 judgment in a climate-related duty of vigilance case against a major oil and gas company is the week's most consequential climate litigation development for corporate counsel. The court held that climate risks fall within the scope of France's 2017 duty of vigilance law and that Scope 3 greenhouse gas emissions — approximately 90% of the company's total at
The Seventh Circuit's July 16, 2026 ruling keeping Chicago's climate-deception lawsuit against fossil fuel companies in state court is a significant procedural win for municipal climate plaintiffs. The fossil fuel accountability litigation strategy has consistently sought federal removal as a defense tactic; keeping these cases in state court typically favors plaintiff-friendly procedural rules an
New York Governor Kathy Hochul signed an Executive Order on July 14, 2026 pausing environmental permits for new hyperscale data centers for one year while the state develops a regulatory framework. The moratorium reflects intensifying tension between AI infrastructure buildout and state-level climate commitments — data centers represent a rapidly growing share of grid demand and carbon intensity.