Here's an interesting
BBC report on
the role that litigation might play in the climate change debate over the next 10 years - with those suffering a material loss likely to attempt to sue those reponsible for emitting greenhouse gases such as
carbon dioxide + methane at some point in the future.
There are obvious difficulties associated with establishing the existence, extent +
causes of
recent climate change + even more with attributing
blame but Earth-Info.Net still suspects that
companies + countries in denial about global warming could eventually find themselves in a vulnerable legal position...
In 2001, the
IPCC's
third climate change assessment report stated that it was "
likely" - meaning a
better than a two in three chance - that human activities were forcing the global climate to warm up +
Peter Roderick, a lawyer who works with
Friends Of The Earth International, has recently said that "Civil courts usually require a
51% proof of certainty, which is an interesting issue in terms of scientific levels of proof - and legal levels of proof."
Visit the Met Office's
Hadley Centre or the
Tyndall Centre website for details on climate research + the
Centre for International Environmental Law for a run down on the legal situation.
Also take a look at this
graph of the global temperature record from 1860-2000!