Survivors of extreme weather events across Asia have filed lawsuits against major corporations and governments, seeking accountability for climate impacts. Cases target companies like Shell and Holcim, with plaintiffs arguing that emissions worsened disasters in their regions.
In December 2025, 67 survivors of Super Typhoon Rai sued Shell in the United Kingdom's Royal Courts of Justice. They claim the company's historic emissions intensified the 2021 storm that destroyed homes in the Philippines and displaced 1.4 million people.
Trixy Elle, a fish vendor and plaintiff, described surviving on dead livestock after the typhoon. "As a mother, it was up to me to find ways to feed my family," she said. The case marks the first civil action directly linking a fossil fuel company to deaths and injuries from climate effects in the Global South.
Other actions include a January lawsuit in Malaysia alleging greenwashing by a fossil fuel firm and an April case by youths challenging deforestation. In 2023, residents of Indonesia's Pari Island sued Swiss cement maker Holcim over sea level rise, with the case admitted in Switzerland in December 2025.
Climate litigation remains limited in Asia, accounting for just 6 percent of global cases as of mid-2025. Experts note growing use of courts despite obstacles like judicial unfamiliarity with such claims.