In a stark revelation of the escalating global climate crisis, scientists report that approximately 4 billion people—half of the world's population—experienced at least one extra month of extreme heat due to human-caused climate change between May 2024 and May 2025 [1][2][3].

This alarming trend coincides with several climate-related legal developments worldwide. In Germany, a landmark climate lawsuit brought by Peruvian farmer Saul Luciano Lliuya against energy company RWE was dismissed by the state court in Hamm on May 28, 2025. Despite the dismissal, the court set a potentially significant precedent by confirming that companies could be held liable for climate damages in civil proceedings [4][5].

In a groundbreaking case in the United States, a Washington state woman has filed one of the nation's first wrongful-death claims against seven oil and gas companies. The lawsuit alleges that these companies contributed to a 2021 heat wave in the Pacific Northwest that led to her mother's death from hyperthermia [6][7].

Meanwhile, India, ranking sixth in the Global Climate Risk Index for 2025, is focusing its climate policy on securing clean energy rights for its 1.4 billion citizens. Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav stated, 'India's climate policy architecture focuses on securing the rights of 140 crore citizens to clean energy,' emphasizing the country's increasing vulnerability to climate risks [8][9].

The urgency of the climate crisis is further underscored by a recent study published in BioScience, which identified over 3,500 animal species at risk due to climate change. William Ripple of Oregon State University, who led the study, warned, 'This is the beginning of an existential crisis for wild animals on Earth' [10][11].

On the international stage, China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi called for global cooperation in addressing climate change during the Third China-Pacific Island Countries Foreign Ministers' Meeting. Wang expressed regret over the withdrawal of certain major countries from the Paris Agreement, likely referring to the United States' second withdrawal under President Trump's executive order [12][13].

In Kenya, lawmakers are pushing for an urgent review of the Climate Change Act (2016) to align it with evolving climate dynamics and international obligations. Senator Moses Kajwang' emphasized, 'A review of our climate law is crucial to ensure it effectively addresses the evolving nature of climate change and integrates responses across all governance levels' [14][15].

As these developments unfold, the Trump administration in the United States has issued a memo effectively abandoning the long-standing metric that quantifies the economic damages of climate change. The social cost of greenhouse gases, previously estimated at about $210 per ton of carbon dioxide in 2023, is now being set to $0 for federal agencies when weighing policy decisions [16][17].

These global events highlight the intensifying impacts of climate change and the complex legal and policy challenges faced by nations worldwide in addressing this crisis.