These days, the litigators hauling climate change scoundrels into court are doing more than any politician to keep our environment healthy and livable.

It was legal teams—not politicians—that ultimately held the tobacco industry to account. Their next target? Perpetrators of climate change.

Early lawsuits like the Exxon Valdez settlement paved the way for the cases now holding climate changers to account. See our timeline of the eco-litigation evolution.