Here’s today’s stories of progress in the fight against climate change.

⚖️ Taking climate cases all the way to the top

A new report shows that legal actions against fossil fuel polluters are increasingly going all the way to the world’s highest courts. 296 cases were heard by these major courts between 2015 and 2024, with 80% of these against governments. Other cases targeting corporations – for instance, cases surrounding greenwashing via companies’ use of carbon credits – tend to have a higher success rate. Influential outcomes include the 2024 ECHR ruling that Switzerland’s inaction on climate change violated human rights, as well as the recent ruling in a German court confirming that companies can be held legally accountable for their contributions to climate change.

🚢 Could this innovation solve shipping’s carbon problem?

A new invention could help clean up the shipping industry, one of the world’s most polluting, with the latest prototype reducing a ship’s emissions by around 70%. It does so by filtering carbon through pellets made of quicklime, which convert it into limestone. The tool is designed to the same specifications as a shipping container, so it can easily slot in with the rest of a ship’s cargo.

🌡️ The heat officers who keep cities cool

Cities around the world are appointing ‘heat officers’ to orchestrate responses to heat waves, potentially saving lives in the process. This might involve setting up emergency cooling stations with water and fans, or turning museums into designated spots for escaping the heat. Part of the heat officers’ job is also to draw up long-term plans for keeping their cities cooler, such as embarking on reforestation projects or installing reflective pavements. 

The Green Light is written by freelance climate writer Molly Millar.