"We cannot sit back and wait for politicians to act in the interests of people right across the world while those very people continue to suffer. Climate litigation provides a real possibility in terms of bringing those responsible to account," declares Oxfam.

In 2010 Oxfam is supporting a number of hearings to take place in India, Ethiopia, Kenya, Brazil, and the Philippines. Oxfam India recently hosted a November 16, 2010 hearing in Dhaka, capital of Bangladesh. People from communities across 10 different Indian states, with climate and legal experts, met to explore possibilities for litigation on the impacts of climate change, both at national and international level.

Meanwhile, senior academics, judges and lawmakers from around the world are backing the International Court for the Environment. It would be an over-arching global institution to provide improved access to justice following incidents of environmental damage and breaches of international treaties. The Court would sit above - and adjudicate on - disputes arising out of UN environmental treaties, such as the 1992 Convention on Biological Diversity, its Framework Convention on Climate Change. and the Kyoto protocol.