opinion

First Circuit Affirmed Remand Order in Rhode Island’s Climate Case Against Energy Companies

State of Rhode Island lawsuit seeking to hold fossil fuel companies liable for causing climate change impacts that adversely affect Rhode Island and jeopardize State-owned or -operated facilities, real property, and other assets.

Rhode Island v. Shell Oil Products Co.

Litigation

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order

First Circuit Denied Rehearing on Affirmance of Remand Order in Rhode Island Climate Case

amicus brief

Rhode Island v. Shell Oil Products Co. - amicus brief

petition for rehearing

Rhode Island v. Shell Oil Products Co. - petition for rehearing

letter

Rhode Island v. Shell Oil Products Co. - letter

reply

Rhode Island v. Shell Oil Products Co. - reply

brief

Rhode Island v. Shell Oil Products Co. - brief

amicus motion

Rhode Island v. Shell Oil Products Co. - amicus motion

Rhode Island v. Shell Oil Products Co. - order

motion

Rhode Island v. Shell Oil Products Co. - motion

statement

Rhode Island v. Shell Oil Products Co. - statement

First Circuit Affirmed Order Sending Rhode Island’s Climate Case Back to State Court

notice

Rhode Island v. Shell Oil Products Co. - notice

First Circuit Scheduled Oral Argument on Appeal of Remand Order in Rhode Island Case

Rhode Island v. Shell Oil Products Co. - Other

response

Rhode Island v. Shell Oil Products Co. - response

Opening Brief Filed in First Circuit Seeking Reversal of Remand Order in Rhode Island's Climate Change Case Against Fossil Fuel Companies

Filing Year For Action

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An aim to achieve a quantifiable outcome within a given time-frame, set by an institution such as a national government.

Policy instruments are techniques or tools used by governing authorities to promote certain policies in order to achieve predetermined goals. Put simply, instruments are how a government tries to achieve its goals, with this taxonomy being focused on national policy instruments.

Risk is the potential for adverse consequences resulting from the dynamic interplay between (climate-related) hazards, exposure, and vulnerability of affected human or ecological systems.

Groups  of people who are adversely affected by climate change or the response to it

A set of principles, processes, and practices that build economic and political power to shift from an extractive economy to a regenerative economy.

Renewable energy means all forms of energy produced from renewable sources in a sustainable manner.

Fossil fuel is a generic term for non-renewable energy sources such as coal, fossil gas, and oil (including crude oil, and petroleum products), that can be used for electricity and heat generation. Fossil fuels are hydrocarbons formed from pressurised and heated organic material buried over millions of years.

Molecules in the atmosphere that play a key role in the greenhouse effect by trapping heat radiating from Earth’s surface.

Area of the economy in which actors engage in identical or related activities.

Financial actors and resources that are primarily directed towards climate change mitigation, adaptation and compensation.

An enterprise or financial institution that is usually majority-owned, backed or significantly controlled by nation-state governments.

In human systems, the process of adjustment to actual or expected climate change and its effects, in order to moderate harm, increase resilience or exploit beneficial opportunities. In natural systems, the process of adjustment to actual climate change and its effects; human intervention may facilitate adjustment to expected climate change and its effects.

Any compulsory, unrequited payment to the government levied on corporations or individuals. This can be for environmental reasons, such as introducing a Carbon tax to set a price that emitters must pay for the greenhouse gases they emit.

Financial support to help individuals manage the effects of unexpected events, securing their livelihoods and increasing the resilience of people and businesses to the changing climate. It’s especially vital in developing regions where everyday risks, climate-related weather extremes, or crop failures can push people into poverty. Without insurance, people may have to resort to selling assets or cutting consumption to cope with losses.

Oil is a combustible liquid fossil fuel composed mainly of hydrocarbons, occurring as crude oil and refined into petroleum products such as petrol, diesel and kerosene.

Activities that relate to the production of goods and services from forests.

Either money or something of monetary value is transferred between two or more organisations, people or countries.

Activities of government agencies and institutions that provide public services, enforce laws and manage public resources.

Fossil gas, commonly known as natural gas, is a fossil fuel consisting chiefly of methane with smaller amounts of other hydrocarbons and trace gases, found in underground deposits.

This sector involves the wholesale and retail selling of goods.

Terrestrial means "of the earth" and relates to the risks to ecological system that includes all living organisms and their interactions within land-based environments, such as forests, grasslands, and deserts.

This sector includes firms and individuals offering specialised expertise in fields such as law, accounting, consulting, science and engineering.

Actions to adapt human health, healthcare systems and well-being to climate change.

The activities of industries that transforms raw materials into finished goods through industrial processes.

Air pollution involves harmful contaminants in the air, affecting both indoor and outdoor environments. It can lead to health issues like respiratory diseases and heart problems, and climate impacts such as global warming. Pollutants can damage plants, trees, habitats, and water bodies like rivers and lakes.

Activities of industries that extract natural resources, such as mining, oil, and gas, for commercial use.

Actions or measures to adapt freshwater systems to climate change.

This sector involves managing waste treatment, sanitation, pollution control and environmental cleanup.

Slow onset events evolve gradually from incremental changes over many years or from increased frequency or intensity of recurring events. As defined in the Cancun Adaptation Framework (2010), slow onset events include risks and impacts from rising temperatures, desertification, biodiversity loss, land and forest degradation, glacial retreat, ocean acidification, sea level rise, and salinization.

Risks to the ecosystem health of the marine environment, including ocean warming, ocean acidification, and ocean deoxygenation, harming biodiversity, species health, ecosystem services, and coastal community livelihoods.

Social protection systems consist of policies that help people manage social risks in order to prevent poverty and maintain decent incomes and living standards

Activities that involve planning, designing and building infrastructure, residential, and commercial structures.

This sector involves the distribution, treatment, and conservation of water resources.

Coastal zone and marine-related actions and measures to adapt and increase resilience to climate change

Actions or measures to adapt freshwater, coastal and marine systems to climate change.

Codes and standards are regulatory instruments that specify minimum standards to protect health and safety. This ranges from performance standards, which prescribe outcomes while allowing flexibility to achieve compliance, to the more prescriptive approach of technology-specific standards.

Extreme weather refers to events where a weather variable exceeds (or falls below) a threshold. Meaning it is significantly different from the average or usual weather pattern.

This sector creates and distributes information and entertainment through television, radio, print, and digital platforms.

Tradable permits are market-based tools that grant permission for specific activities, frequently used to regulate emissions. These permits can be issued within a trading system to manage environmental impacts.

The release of heat-trapping gases, primarily from human activities such as burning fossil fuels, agriculture and industry.

Social and cultural groups that share collective ancestral ties to the lands and natural resources where they live, occupy or from which they have been displaced

People with different national or cultural traditions from the dominant population

Any substance with chemical properties that can cause physical harm to people or damage the environment, including ammonia, carbon monoxide, phosphine, chlorine, arsenic, cadmium, mercury, pesticides, dioxins, microplastics, benzene, asbestos, aflatoxins, fluoride, methanol, and toxins from marine sources.

A ban is a legal action that prevents the sale or supply of a product or service, or that recalls a product from the market. Examples are bans on SF6, greenwashing, fossil fuel advertisement or single-use plastics.

A financial institution that manages a country's currency and can promote climate-related initiatives through green monetary policy and other means.

A long-lived, colourless gas, chiefly emitted from fossil fuel combustion, deforestation and cement production.

Climate change can have a range of impacts on technological system. Extreme weather events can cause infrastructure failures like power outages or damage to roads and bridges, as well as the impacts from waste following natural disasters. Human activities also cause technological impacts, such as the risks posed by oil spillage and leaks.

This sector involves activities that impart knowledge and skills to individuals, including formal schooling, vocational training and educational support.

People who have left their homes, whether through force, voluntarily, or a mixture of both

Activities involving the catching, processing, and selling of fish for food, recreation, and industry.

The activities of industries involved in the production, distribution, and sale of energy, including electricity, gas, and renewables.

People who are less able to respond to the effects of climate change due to having limited financial or physical assets