Ekaterina Salugina-Sorokovaya delivered a presentation at Eastern Economic Forum

As a rule, neither international nor national regulation imposes environmental requirements on corporate strategies. At the same time, companies declare corporate climate commitment to the Paris Agreement by means of articulating rates of emissions in their corporate strategies. Ekaterina Salugina-Sorokovaya, CEO of the ICLRC think tank, held a presentation on the matter on the Eastern Economic Forum session “Climate Change: Is it Still a Question of Money?”

She drew attention to the growing demand of society to strengthen control on climate action of states and companies. “This demand brings up the question about how to counteract greenwashing. Case law may offer a pointer in this regard,” said the think tank CEO. Today plaintiffs increasingly base their claims on fundamental human rights: right to life and right to a healthy environment. They argue that a government has not set appropriate emission reduction goals or failed to comply with the global Paris climate targets. The claims have been filed against EU Member States, Mexico, Canada, and Brazil.

Furthermore, there are cases when the plaintiffs bring a similar action against companies with a focus on rights of a younger generation. Also, misleading information from companies’ financial reporting and climate declarations may be subject to litigation. As a prime example, she presented the unprecedented ruling of The Hague District Court on the class action brought by Friends for Earth International against Royal Dutch Shell.

Watch full presentation here.