Climate change is impacting every aspect of society and the economy, so it is relevant to every area of law. Lawyers will therefore play a vital role in the net zero transition. Developed by the Centre for Climate Engagement in partnership with the Net Zero Lawyers Alliance, the Law & Climate Atlas provides overviews of how climate change is shaping different areas of law, and how these areas might help drive climate action.
Each section includes relevant citations and links to further reading, and will be updated in response to key legal developments. The Atlas focuses on laws impacting the UK and USA, but has sections that cover international law and cites precedent from many other jurisdictions. A list of other useful resources and a glossary of key terminology can be found here. If you have any questions about the Law & Climate Atlas, or would like to suggest any additions or amendments, please get in touch at climate@hughes.cam.ac.uk.
Administrative Law and Climate Change
Public bodies and decision makers now have climate-related obligations and may face judicial review if they fail to meet them. More →
Antitrust (Competition) Law and Climate Change
Antitrust law not only prevents anticompetitive practices but acts as a catalyst for green innovation and technologies. More →
Climate Change Litigation in the US
Climate change litigation is an avenue for challenging insufficient government and private industry responses to climate change. More →
Commercial Arbitration and Climate Change
Climate change issues are now directly and indirectly relevant to international commercial arbitration. More →
Company Law and Climate Change
Companies have a key role to play in the net zero transition, and are subject to a growing number of legal requirements related to climate change. More →
Competition Law and Climate Change
Businesses must collaborate to tackle the climate crisis, but this can raise competition law concerns. More →
Consumer Law and Climate Change
The rise of environmentally conscious consumers and a growing emphasis on sustainability are driving changes in UK consumer law. More →
Contract Law and Climate Change
Contracts can create specific obligations that may be pivotal to the transition to net zero. More →
Contract Law and Climate Change
Contracts let a wide range of actors create legally binding climate commitments without waiting for legislation or litigation. More →
Corporation Law and Climate Change
Legal tools are being deployed within existing corporation law frameworks to hold corporations accountable for their environmental impacts. More →
Criminal Law and Climate Change
Criminal law is one of many legal areas that will likely see an increased focus on climate change. More →
Criminal Law and Climate Change
Both climate activists and greenhouse gas emitters may need to worry about criminal law. More →
Employment Law and Climate Change
The net zero transition is changing workplaces, creating climate-related employment law issues. More →
Environmental Law and Climate Change
Climate change is linked to many other environmental issues and the legal regimes that aim to address them. More →
Environmental Law and Climate Change
Environmental law remains one of the principal legal areas in which climate change is confronted directly. More →
European Union Law and Climate Change
The European Union has many important climate laws which remain relevant to the UK. More →
Financial Law and Climate Change
Many new laws and regulations aim to use the financial system to drive emissions reductions. More →
Human Rights and Climate Change
Over the last two decades, a global consensus has emerged that climate change has human rights implications. More →
Human Rights Law and Climate Change
Human rights are closely linked to climate change, creating challenges and opportunities for human rights law regimes. More →
Immigration Law and Climate Change
Immigration law in the US in its current form is ill-equipped to deal with the challenges posed by climate change. More →
Immigration Law and Climate Change
Climate change will drive migration, which immigration law must facilitate. More →
Insurance Law and Climate Change
The interplay between insurance law and climate change raises complex legal questions. More →
Insurance Law and Climate Change
Insurance is crucial to managing climate risks, and may even play a role in reducing emissions. More →
Intellectual Property Law and Climate Change
Intellectual property law is highly relevant to the many new products and technologies that address climate change. More →
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