As the International Bar Association (IBA), the global voice of the legal profession, continues to champion the role of lawyers and legal institutions in responding to the challenges presented by the climate and biodiversity crises, it is intensifying its leadership in these areas.

2025 was a milestone year in climate and biodiversity law, with international courts delivering landmark advisory opinions clarifying states’ obligations on the climate crisis, alongside the successful ratification of the Agreement on Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdictions. These developments come amid escalating climate-linked extreme weather events and growing warnings from economic institutions about the systemic risks of biodiversity loss. As 2026 gets underway, these trends show no sign of slowing, and the IBA warns that urgent, coordinated legal action is essential.

Leadership on climate change and the just energy transition

In 2025, then IBA President, Jaime Carey, delivered opening remarks at a panel event ahead of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) 30th Conference of the Parties (COP30), where he emphasised the responsibility of lawyers and bar associations to support a fair and inclusive net-zero transition.

In his remarks, Mr Carey commented, ‘Limiting the devastating impacts of climate change on people and nature requires a rapid transformation of how we produce and consume energy — and the legal profession has a critical role in enabling that change. While this is a monumental task, there are reasons for optimism. Recent advisory opinions from international courts clarify the legal obligations of states and businesses to act on climate change in ways consistent with human rights. These opinions will shape future climate negotiations, legislation and litigation — and the IBA is working to ensure our members understand their implications. I urge all bar associations represented here, and the broader legal community, to translate these findings into concrete action — by governments, businesses and individuals — and to continue working together toward an energy transition that is just for all.’

At COP30 in Belém, Brazil, the IBA, with coordination by the IBA Legal Policy & Research Unit (LPRU), convened an official side event alongside the American Bar Association and the Federal Council of the Brazilian Bar Association, where panellists highlighted the value of strategic litigation in connecting the climate crisis with its human rights impacts, and the imperative for lawyers to consider the impacts of their services more broadly.

Speaking at the event, Clara Serva, Vice Chair of the IBA Business Human Rights Committee, advised, ‘We as lawyers generate positive and/or negative impact with our work. Think wisely when advising clients and when litigating, otherwise we risk going against human rights through our work rather than advancing those rights.’

The event came shortly after the adoption of the new IBA Pro Bono Declaration and its accompanying guidance on how pro bono services can support climate crisis-affected communities, at the IBA Annual Conference 2025.

Matthias Lang, Chair of the IBA Section on Energy, Environment, Natural Resources and Infrastructure Law (SEERIL), commented, ‘2025 proved a milestone year for international climate litigation and negotiations, punctuated by the International Court of Justice Advisory Opinion which sets clear expectations for states to regulate in line with the 1.5-degree temperature goal of the Paris Agreement. COP30 highlighted that despite challenging geopolitical circumstances, international cooperation remains critical to advancing effective global climate mitigation and adaptation, with countries agreeing important outcomes on climate finance and adaptation. The COP30 President’s commitment to developing roadmaps to transition away from fossil fuels and halt and reverse deforestation by 2030; the announcement of the First International Conference on the Just Transition Away from Fossil Fuels in April 2026; and the launch of an initiative to advance production and use of sustainable fuels, will shape the future activities of states and private actors. The legal community will be pivotal to helping clients navigate these shifts.’

Steven Richman, Chair of the IBA Bar Issues Commission (BIC), gave remarks during an international conference alongside COP30 and stated, ‘I want to reinforce that promoting climate competence among bars and lawyers is a longstanding priority for us in the IBA and the BIC – I’m looking forward to continuing to champion this work as we look ahead to 2026.’

Key IBA initiatives and outcomes

• Climate obligations and corporate responsibility: The IBA Oil and Gas Law Committee led a webinar to analyse the private sector implications of recent climate crisis advisory opinions from the International Court of Justice and the Inter-American Court of Human Rights; and leaders from the IBA BIC and IBA Water Law Committee explored this subject at a legal roundtable during Climate Law and Governance Day, coordinated with LPRU support.
• Global coordination through bar associations: The IBA BIC launched a Climate Change Working Group to strengthen climate competence across bar associations worldwide and support lawyers in advising on climate-related legal risks.
• Knowledge sharing and capacity building: IBA committees hosted high-level webinars and conference sessions on climate jurisprudence, biodiversity law, plastics treaty negotiations and evolving sustainability. These included webinars reflecting on the landmark Leghari v Pakistan judgment and key developments in international environmental law across 2025, led by the IBA Environment, Health and Safety Law Committee, with LPRU support, and sessions on climate litigation and biodiversity risks at the IBA Annual Conference 2025.
• Nature-related legal risk toolkit: A new IBA Nature-Intelligent Legal Services Toolkit, to be launched shortly, will equip lawyers and law firms to integrate biodiversity and nature-related risks and opportunities into legal services. It is being designed by the IBA Environment, Health and Safety Law Committee and the IBA Law Firm Management Committee ESG Subcommittee with biodiversity law experts and LPRU, and with input from committees across the IBA.

Wangui Kaniaru, Co-Chair of the IBA Law Firm Management Committee ESG Subcommittee and Els Reynaers, Co-Chair of the IBA Environment, Health and Safety Law Committee, said, ‘All businesses, including law firms, depend on services provided by nature as sources of value, either directly or through their supply chains. Meanwhile, we know that many business activities are adversely impacting nature, for example through contributing to climate change, pollution or over-exploitation of ecosystems. These impacts and dependencies on nature create risks for organisations and their value chains. We are proud to be developing a first of its kind and user-friendly toolkit, which will be made publicly available, that helps lawyers from every practice area to consider what nature-related risks mean for their clients, and to embed solutions into their client services.’

Upcoming event

On Thursday 29 January 2026 1800—2000 JST, the IBA BIC will participate in the Japan Federation of Bar Associations’ online ‘ESG Seminar Series The Cutting Edge of Legal Practice Addressing Climate Change — Rethinking the Role of Lawyers in the Decarbonization Era, Learning from Global Best Practices’. International experts, including IBA BIC Chair Steven Richman and LPRU Project Lawyer Emily Morison, will examine emerging risks and best practices for lawyers and corporate legal departments in the decarbonisation era. Click here to register your attendance.

For further information or to engage with IBA climate and biodiversity initiatives, contact lpru@int-bar.org

ENDS

Contact: IBApressoffice@int-bar.org

Notes

1. Read more about the IBA’s engagement in UNFCCC activities here, and more about the IBA’s broader climate-related activities and initiatives here.
2. Access a range of committee webinars and initiatives addressing developments in the climate crisis and broader ESG considerations on the IBA ESG Hub Page here.
3. Visit the online IBA Climate Registry to access climate-related materials and initiatives developed by bar associations and law societies here.
4. The International Bar Association (IBA), the global voice of the legal profession, is the foremost organisation for international legal practitioners, bar associations and law societies. Established in 1947, shortly after the creation of the United Nations, with the aim of protecting and promoting the rule of law globally, it was born out of the conviction that an organisation made up of the world's bar associations could contribute to global stability and peace through the administration of justice. The IBA has considerable expertise in providing assistance to the global legal community, and through its global membership, it influences the development of international law reform and helps to shape the future of the legal profession throughout the world.
5. Find the IBA on social media here:
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