Case Database
This database contains a global sample of climate-caused displacement cases. Updated weekly, it serves as a list of resources for research, and are the cases references utilized in the Insights Analysis section.If there are cases you'd like to add or edit, please reach out through the form below.
For more information on individual cases, click on them to find the original court reports.
| Case | Year Filed | Current Status | Court / Body | Docket Number |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Canada (Attorney General) v. Ward | 1993 | Decided - Applicant won | Supreme Court of Canada | [1993] 2 SCR 689 |
| A and Another v Minister for Immigration & Ethnic Affairs | 1997 | Decided - Applicant lost | High Court of Australia | [1997] 190 CLR 225 |
| Perampalam v Minister for Immigration and Multicultural Affairs | 1999 | Decided - Applicant lost | Federal Court of Australia | [1999] FCA 165 |
| Horvath v. Secretary of State for the Home Department | 2000 | Decided - Applicant lost | House of Lords | [2000] UKHL 37; [2001] 1 AC 489 |
| Refugee Appeal Nos. 72189–72195 | 2000 | Decided - Applicants lost | Refugee Status Appeals Authority (RSAA) | Nos. 72189–72195/2000 |
| Minister for Immigration & Multicultural Affairs v. Khawar | 2002 | Decided - Applicant won | High Court of Australia | [2002] HCA 14; 210 CLR 1 |
| Minister for Immigration & Multicultural Affairs v. Haji Ibrahim | 2000 | Decided - Applicant won | High Court of Australia | [2000] HCA 55; 204 CLR 1 |
| K (FC) and Fornah (FC) v Secretary of State for the Home Department | 2006 | Decided - Applicants won | House of Lords | [2006] UKHL 46; [2007] 1 AC 412 |
| RN (Returnees) Zimbabwe CG | 2008 | Decided - Applicants won | UK Asylum and Immigration Tribunal (AIT) | [2008] UKAIT 00083 |
| Refugee Appeal No. 76374, New Zealand RSAA | 2009 | Decided - Applicant lost | Refugee Status Appeals Authority | No. 76374 [2009] |
| 0903555 [2010] RRTA 31 | 2010 | Decided - Applicant lost | Refugee Review Tribunal (RRT) | 0903555 [2010] RRTA 31 |
| Refugee Appeal No. 76457, New Zealand RSAA | 2010 | Decided - Applicant lost | Refugee Status Appeals Authority | No. 76457 [2010] |
| RS and Others (Zimbabwe – AIDS) Zimbabwe CG | 2010 | Decided - Applicants lost | UK Upper Tribunal (Immigration and Asylum Chamber) | [2010] UKUT 363 (IAC) |
| Matter of Sosa Ventura, 25 I. & N. Dec. 391 | 2010 | Decided - Applicant lost | US Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) | 25 I&N Dec. 391; 2010 BIA LEXIS 36 |
| UM22726-10 | 2011 | Decided - Applicant won | Swedish Migration Court (Migrationsdomstolen) | UM22726-10 [2011] |
| Sufi and Elmi v United Kingdom [2011] ECHR 1045 | 2011 | Decided - Applicants won | European Court of Human Rights | Apps. 8319/07 and 11449/07 |
| Abid Hassan Jama v. Utlendingsnemnda | 2011 | Decided - Outcome mixed, case remitted for reconsideration | Norway Borgarting Court of Appeal (Borgarting lagmannsrett) | 10-142363ASD-BORG/01 |
| RRT Case No. 1203929 | 2012 | Decided - Applicant lost | Refugee Review Tribunal | 1203929 [2012] RRTA 819 |
| RRT Case No. 1213297 | 2013 | Decided - Applicant lost | Refugee Review Tribunal | 1213297 [2013] RRTA 91 |
| RRT Case No. 1216703 | 2013 | Decided - Applicant lost | Refugee Review Tribunal | 1216703 [2013] RRTA 153 |
| F (Kiribati) [2013] NZIPT 800413 | 2013/2014 | Decided - Applicant lost | Immigration and Protection Tribunal (NZIPT) | [2013] NZIPT 800413 |
| Matter of M-E-V-G-, 26 I. & N. Dec. 227 | 2014 | Decided - Applicant's claim remanded (framework clarified, not definitively resolved) | US Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) | 26 I&N Dec. 227; 2014 BIA LEXIS 2 |
| Ioane Teitiota v New Zealand, CCPR/C/127/D/2728/2016 | 2020 | Decided - Applicant lost | UN Human Rights Committee | CCPR/C/127/D/2728/2016 |
| Communication AL USA 16/2020 -Indigenous Peoples Climate Displacement | 2020 | Pending/Communication sent - No binding decision (UN Special Procedures communication) | UN Special Rapporteurs (joint communication) | AL USA 16/2020 |
| VGH Baden-Württemberg, A 11 S 2042/20 | 2020 | Decided - Applicant won | Verwaltungsgerichtshof (German Administrative Court of Appeal) Baden-Württemberg | A 11 S 2042/20 (17 December 2020) |
| Cour administrative d'appel de Bordeaux, 20BX02193/20BX02195 | 2020 | Decided - Applicant won | French Cour administrative d'appel de Bordeaux (2ème chambre) | 20BX02193, 20BX02195 |
| UNHRC, Daniel Billy et al. v. Australia, Communication No. 3624/2019 | 2022 | Decided - Applicants won | UN Human Rights Committee | Communication No. 3624/2019 |
| Communication AL PAK 7/2022 - Karachi Waterways Evictions | 2023 | Pending/Communication sent - No binding decision | UN Special Rapporteurs (joint communication) | AL PAK 7/2022 |
| Tribunale Ordinario di Firenze, X c Ministero dell'Interno, E.R.G. 6142 [2023] | 2024 | Decided - Applicant won | Ordinary Court of Florence (Tribunale Ordinario di Firenze) | E.R.G. 6142/2023 |
| Colombian Constitutional Court, Sentencia T-123 | 2024 | Decided - Applicant won | Colombian Constitutional Court | Sentencia T-123/2024 |
Methodology
Cases are included when they involve at least one of the frameworks in the Legal Frameworks section. Each case cites primary source documents, using the court judgement PDF as default. If the court judgement cannot be accessed, the communication or complaint PDFs are used instead.This section is updated weekly, with regular edits and additions made.
Categories are set based on patterns drawn from the cases in the Case Database, and are thus original intellectual syntheses. Frameworks may be updated or added as new cases are recorded and considered.This Legal Framework categorization also sets the foundation for Insights Analysis.
This section aims to be clear, accessible, and argumentative. Articles are driven by original analysis, not just by a review of court cases. There is no mandatory writing structure. All cases and frameworks referenced are present in the Case Database section and Legal Frameworks section.Reference style: Chicago Manual of Style 18th EditionEditorial style: Yale Law Journal Style Guide (v. Aug 2025)