Our planet is changing. Rising carbon emissions are accelerating climate change. Our forests are disappearing. The air we breathe and the oceans we depend on are polluted. Vulnerable plants and animals are under threat. To meet these global challenges we use the power of the law to drive transformational change – creating, strengthening and enforcing the right rules to support a healthy planet where nature and people can thrive together.
Legal systems, the rule of law and justice are at the centre of ClientEarth’s work. We work to strengthen the entire system – from how laws are written, to how they are applied, interpreted and enforced by courts and regulators.
We support the people and communities most affected by environmental degradation to defend their rights and we make sure people, prosecutors and civil society organisations can participate in environmental decision-making, and go to court when laws are broken.
We need urgent action to tackle the climate emergency but if we want to change how people and corporations behave, we must change the financial and economic systems that influence and incentivise their behaviours.
The global economy and financial flows sit at the heart of the change we need to see in the world. We need to shift the economic incentives and flow of finance to unlock necessary change and new opportunities.
To reduce our global greenhouse gas emissions, we need to move away from fossil fuels towards climate-neutral sources of energy whilst minimising the negative impacts on nature and people.
Our survival depends on our incredible natural world. Our vision is a world with thriving ecosystems, where nature flourishes in the oceans and on land.
The world is changing dramatically, and the crucial years ahead will determine the health of the planet our children will inherit.James Thornton, ClientEarth President and Founder
