On 10 April 2019 the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom delivered judgment in the case of Vedanta v. Lungowe, which concerned the liability of an English company for environmental damage caused by its subsidiary in Zambia. The decision confirms that English parent companies can owe a duty of care to foreign claimants affected by operations of their subsidiaries abroad and that the English courts may have jurisdiction to hear such cases, even when a foreign court is a more appropriate place for the trial. It establishes an important precedent for providing access to justice for foreign claimants in transnational corporate liability litigation. Given the global presence of English companies and the fact that their foreign subsidiaries have been involved in multiple cases of environmental damage in the host states, the decision could give an impetus to future claims being brought in the English courts. Also, the decision opens some interesting possibilities for climate change liability litigation against English parent companies and their foreign subsidiaries, as their cumulative greenhouse gas emissions are likely to be considerably higher than when taken separately, arguably making prospective claims against them more viable.

中文翻译：

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跨国公司对环境损害和气候变化的责任：在 Vedanta v. Lungowe 之后重新评估诉诸司法的机会

2019 年 4 月 10 日，英国最高法院就以下案件作出判决：吠檀多五。伦戈维，涉及一家英国公司对其在赞比亚的子公司造成的环境损害的责任。该决定确认，英国母公司可能对受其海外子公司运营影响的外国索赔人负有注意义务，并且即使外国法院更适合审理此类案件，英国法院也可能拥有审理此类案件的管辖权。它为跨国公司责任诉讼中的外国索赔人提供了司法救助的重要先例。鉴于英国公司在全球的存在以及它们的外国子公司在东道国参与了多起环境破坏案件的事实，该决定可能会推动未来向英国法院提出索赔。还，