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Climate Crisis

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Digital Content Podcasts Film Reports IBA Environment Policy IBA Section on Energy and Environment Contact  
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IBA Climate Crisis Statement

A global response to the climate crisis will undoubtedly give rise to increased disputes. The legal profession must be prepared to play a leading role in maintaining and strengthening the rule of law in an era marked by a climate crisis

Model Statute

The Model Statute for Proceedings Challenging Government Failure to Act on Climate Change highlights the role of litigation in setting requirements for governments to protect their citizens and communities from climate impacts

Task Force report

The IBA Presidential Task Force on Climate Change Justice and Human Rights identifies gaps in existing institutional arrangements, in this report, 'Achieving Justice and Human Rights in an Era of Climate Change Disruption'

The IBA @COP27

This session discusses both events at COP27 in Sharm El-Sheikh, co-hosted with the American Bar Association, the Brazilian Bar Association and the Law Society of England and Wales. The session discusses the role of lawyers in tackling the climate crisis and in implementing climate commitments.

Digital Content

Podcasts

Climate change is one of the major contemporary environmental and human rights issues. Priorities have been identified and bold commitments made at the highest levels of the executive in most responsible jurisdictions. All that will come to nought without execution.

Sternford Moyo, IBA President (2021, 2022)

Film

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COP28 capacity building: Africa in focus – facilitating the net transition

This session is the first of four thematic webinars focusing on the role of lawyers in the climate crisis. This session builds on our work at COP27 by engaging in outreach and highlighting the key areas of capacity building in the green transition, the implementation of nationally determined contributions, approaching roadblocks to investment and facilitating opportunities for lawyers in this space.

Lawyers and the climate emergency

The online panel event was held in support of the International Law Book Facility’s law undergraduate essay competition 2022-2023. The competition asks law undergraduates the question: What difference can lawyers make in tackling the climate emergency?

Experts Panel: Activating Decarbonization and Adaptation in Legal Practice - CLGD2022 | CISDL

This experts panel on Activating Decarbonization and Adaptation in Legal Practice was session 13 of Climate Law and Governance Day 2022. This session was hosted by the International Bar Association; American Bar Association; Law Society of England and Wales. It was chaired by Prof John Dernbach (Director, Environmental Law & Sustainability Center, Widener Univ Commonwealth Law School)..

Utilizing the law as a key tool toward addressing climate change and promoting equity

The IBA, along with the American Bar Association, the Brazilian Bar Association and the Law Society of England and Wales hosted two events during COP27 in Egypt. The official side event was held in the Blue Zone, and can be viewed on the UN’s YouTube channel here.

Cop27 Presidential address

In this presidential address, Deborah Enix-Ross, President of the American Bar Association, Beto Simonetti, President of the Order of Attorneys of Brazil (Brazillian Bar Association), Sternford Moyo, President of the International Bar Association and Lubna Shuja, President of the Law Society of England and Wales discuss their commitments of the climate crisis.

Legal associations and Bars at COP27: What happened in Sharm El-Sheikh and what’s next?

The session discusses the role of lawyers in tackling the climate crisis and the utilisation of lawyers in implementing climate commitments, topics that were well-received at COP27. Panellists talk about plans for 2023, including attendance at COP28.

Mary Robinson – Interviews on Climate Justice

Mary Robinson speaks about the challenges after the 2015 Paris Agreement and the role of women in leading the global fight against climate breakdown, at the IBA Annual Conference, Rome 2018.

A conversation with... John Kerry

A frank, insightful and authoritative conversation ahead of the 2020 US elections, with the former Democratic nominee for the US Presidency discussing the US’ role in today’s world, multilateralism, China, Israel, Palestine and climate change.

Preventing Climate Chaos: Judicial, Legal and Policy Developments

This session at the 2016 IBA Annual Conference in Washington, DC, provides an update on the latest developments aimed at achieving justice and human rights in an era of climate disruption.

One such topic of major concern to me, and many others, is the climate crisis – an urgent and potentially irreversible threat to humanity and life on the planet.

Horacio Bernardes Neto, IBA President (2019-2020)

Reports

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Legal Aspects of Climate Change Adaptation

While progress on climate change depends on stability in other domains in order to implement the Paris Agreement of 2015, climate change itself is a destabilising force. The Climate Change Adaptation Report looks closely at three areas key to heading off the likelihood of accelerating instability in the near future: population displacement, food security and access to technology. This report places these issues within the larger context of the Paris Accord and the recent advances in research and policy on the human rights implications of climate change.

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Model Statute for Proceedings Challenging Government Failure to Act on Climate Change

Building on recent successes and judicial reasoning, the Model Statute highlights the role of litigation in setting requirements for governments to protect the public. With the advice of leading experts, it provides detailed rationales, precedents and 23 specific Articles for reforms.

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