Acknowledgements

The Cambridge Handbook on Climate Litigation stands as a testament to the collaborative efforts and dedication of a diverse group of experts, institutions, and volunteers from all corners of the globe. The organic growth of this group throughout the lifespan of this project has now made it impossible to acknowledge every contributor by name. With apologies for omissions, we still wish to highlight some members of this extraordinary group whose contributions have been critical.

First, we are profoundly grateful to the IUCN-WCEL members and numerous other experts across the globe who have helped us to build a robust empirical base for this project. Their contributions range from identifying key decisions and providing detailed case reports to helping us keep our database up-to-date. We specifically wish to acknowledge Elena Aydos, Lisa Benjamin, Caio Borges, Sébastien Jodoin, David Boyd, Stuart Bruce, Javier Camarena, Christel Cournil, Mirjana Drenovak Ivanovic, Sandrine Dubois, Edgar Fernández Fernández, Paula Galbiatti Silveira, Justine Garrett, Sangeeta Roy, Arvind Jasrotia, Maša Kovič Dine, Katrina Kuh, Warren Gary Lavey, Bernard Namanya, Erick Pajares, Oliver Ruppel, Mercy Teko, Akhtar Uz Zaman, Gerd Winter, Hermann Ott, Lucy Edwards, Nicole Smith, Maud Sarliève, Hasminah Paudac, Amanda Misasi, Sonam Gordhan, Simon Milnes, Gabrielle Cornette, Gregor Schamschula, Alessandra Lehmen, André De Castro dos Santos, Ana Paula Chagas, Ana Flávia Trevizan, Morgan McGinnn, Daniel (Eduardo) Cortés Cortés, Elodie Fesquet, Anastasia Steinlein, Filippo Fantozzi, Hicham Kaddoum, Katharina Neumann, Marine Segura, Paul Mougeolle, Emer Slattery, Andrew Jackson, Tim Crosland, Joe Snape, Caterina Freytag, Iva Aurer, Jenny Sandvig, Peter Dawson, Marit Tjelmeland, Carole Billiet, Audrey Baeyens, Daniel Galpern, Stuart Bruce, Ruby Rorty, Mark Burrows, Douglas Sanders, Ilona Miller, and Guy Dwyer.

We also owe a debt of gratitude to Justice Antonio Benjamin and Christina Voigt for their insightful contributions and guidance, which have greatly shaped the direction of this Handbook. Moreover, we are thankful to Francesco Sindico and Fabiano de Andrade Correa, who provided priceless support in their capacity as co-chairs of the IUCN-WCEL CCLSG. Marjan Peeters deserves special credit for her invaluable contributions to the design of the project.

Special appreciation is also due to Susan Kath, Sam Bookman, and Nathalya Desterro at the Cyrus Vance Center for International Justice, Professor Nicholas Robinson at the International Council of Environmental Law, Joana Setzer of the Grantham Institute on Climate Change and the Environment, Maria-Antonia Tigre and Michael Burger at the Sabin Center for Climate Change Law, Catalina Pizarro Tapia at the United Nations Environment Programme, Dennis van Berkel from the Urgenda Foundation, and Briony Eales and Maria Cecilia Sicangco at the Asian Development Bank. We could not have built the comprehensive dataset that underpins this Handbook without their expert assistance in utilising and expanding existing databases and resources.

We should not fail to thank each of the experts who served as chapter authors for joining us in what at times appeared to be an arduous journey. Many of these authors not only provided text that now forms the ‘flesh’ of the Handbook but also played key roles in methodology development and project design. We are conscious that our ambitions for this Handbook resulted in significant demands on each of the authors’ time, and we are grateful for their patience and perseverance in responding to streams of editorial feedback that may have seemed incessant.

Our gratitude extends further to the exceptionally talented interns and volunteers who have worked tirelessly on several aspects of the project, and to Rabya Khan and Chiara Montanari for facilitating their contributions through the University of Chicago’s Metcalf Internship Programme. In particular, the assistance of Andrea Paolo Olivei, Lena Maghraoui, and Solange Reppas has been essential in overcoming numerous challenges and ensuring the project’s success. We are also deeply grateful to Tejas Rao, who not only contributed case analysis but also provided excellent editorial assistance in the project’s final stages.

A special note of thanks is due to our brilliant assistant editor, Joe Udell, whose dedication and meticulous efforts have been pivotal in bringing this Handbook to fruition. His ever-high spirits and sense of humour made working with him a real pleasure.

This Handbook ultimately reflects the collective wisdom and expertise of an ever-growing community of scientists, lawyers, scholars, experts, and others who share a commitment to just climate action. For this, we are most grateful.

Finally, during the completion of this Handbook, the international environmental law community lost a gifted and dedicated colleague with the passing of Meinhard Doelle (1964–2022). Meinhard made indispensable contributions to environmental law scholarship during his academic career spanning almost twenty years, and we are honoured to publish his co-authored chapter on international law posthumously, with the permission of his wife, Wendy. May his optimism and vision continue to inspire our field.