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Of the 186 nationally determined contributions in the first-round of submissions, 169 Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) explicitly prioritized the need for legal or institutional reform to achieve their global contribution to climate change, with 99 Parties calling for increasing capacity-building for action, new legal research from the University of Cambridge and the Centre for International Sustainable Development Law (CISDL) shows.
The first week of COP26 here in Glasgow has seen significant commitments by States and private sectors, including many countries pledging net zero emissions by 2050 or sooner, alignment of $130 trillion in finance with the Paris Agreement before 2050 through the Glasgow Financial Alliance for Net Zero (Gfanz), and the largest ever renewal of the Adaptation Fund. For Glasgow COP26 promises to be realized, however, we need binding regulations, carefully crafted contracts, disclosure obligations and thousands of other legal tools on all scales, building trust, accountability and climate justice.
The world’s climate law and governance community, now more than ever, needs to strengthen knowledge, capacity and practice – exponentially.
Indeed, “A massive capacity chasm is gaping in our path ahead,” says Professor Marie-Claire Cordonier Segger Leverhulme Visiting Professor at the University of Cambridge, Senior Director of the Centre for International Sustainable Development Law (CISDL) and Executive Secretary of the global Climate Law and Governance Initiative at COP26. “We need dynamic climate law and public policy specialists in every country, capable and active in their bar associations, universities, firms and civil society, making net zero a reality across the board. Climate law and public policy must be taught in every law school – backed by new research and training at all levels – for even a hope to implement the Paris Agreement and advance the UN Sustainable Development Goals.”
During COP26 and beyond, over 200 committed partners have come together through the Climate Law and Governance Initiative (CLGI) to share lessons among a growing community of practice and chart the future for this critical field – actively engaging professors, practitioners, judges and other leaders from international organizations, judiciaries, institutes, leading law firms and universities. In response to a global Call to scale up the desperately needed capacity, CLGI partners co-hosted an online academic climate law and public policy preparatory conference on Climate Change, the SDGs and the Law at the University of Cambridge, with over 750 registrants from over 90 countries on 29-30 October. On Friday, 05 November, during COP26, over 1,100 registrants from over 120 countries joined in Climate Law and Governance Day (CLGD) 2021 hosted online and in-person at the University of Glasgow, in partnership with Strathclyde and Cambridge universities, for 3 high level plenaries and 16 substantive sessions spanning all aspects of law and climate change. The Day culminated in a celebration of the new laureates of the 2021 Climate Law & Governance Global Leadership Awards and the 2021 International Student Essay Competition (see attached, for Winners).
To share outcomes at COP26 itself, on 06 November key municipal, national, and international legal innovations were shared in an Official Side-Event on Net Zero Climate Law and Governance – Advancing Ambition and Action to Implement the Paris Agreement and the SDGs. The interactive legal roundtable brought together leading experts from the Net Zero Lawyers Alliance, Centre for International Sustainable Development Law (CISDL), Glasgow Centre for International Law and Security (GCILS) and other partners of the Climate Law and Governance Initiative, also IKEM, the Asociacion Ambiente y Sociedad and Centro Humboldt.
Further, on 07 November 2021, helping to train a new generation of specialists world-wide, the Climate Law & Governance Specialization Course hosted in the University of Strathclyde certified 163 in person and virtual participants from over 60 countries.
Over this remarkable programme of climate law events, CLGI Partners, including leading university co-hosts, CISDL, GCILS, the newly launched NZLA and many others united to bridge the legal capacity chasm, calling on all firms, faculties and foundations to widen the circle of climate law and governance professors and practitioners from 600 to 6,000 in 2 years or less, engaging qualified leaders in every legal system and converting ambition to obligation worldwide.
To arrange interviews or for further details, at COP26 please contact:
Adv Tejas Rao, Associate Fellow and Programme Coordinator for Peace, Justice and Governance, Centre for International Sustainable Development Law. M: +44 7900 279 365 E: tr465@cam.ac.uk
Adv Freedom-Kai Phillips, Operations Director and Legal Research Fellow of the Centre for International Sustainable Development Law. E: fkp22@cam.ac.uk
ANNEX I – FOR NEWS STORIES, THE EXPERTS SAY….
Adv Wendy Miles, QC, CLGI Chair and a representative of the Net Zero Lawyers Alliance, emphasized the role of commercial lawyers and law firms “to work with their clients as they transition to net zero and seek to mobilize the necessary finance to achieve that.” She encourages lawyers to innovate and utilize existing commercial law instruments to advance those client objectives.
Maitre Ayman Cherkaoui, CLGI Chair, CISDL Lead Counsel and Ambassador, Adaptation without Borders signaled the allocation of finance is crucial for adaptation as well, noting “there are tricky legal issues on adaptation that will require countries to demonstrate a real spirit of multilateralism, collaborating inside the negotiations, and beyond, to solve. Without this the 2030 Agenda commitment to “leave no one behind” may not be fulfilled.”
Prof Christina Voigt, CLGI Chair, IUCN World Commission on Environmental Law Chair and Co-Chair of the Paris Agreement Implementation and Compliance Committee (PAICC) added a perspective from inside the Blue Zone, noting that: “while these transitions toward a net-zero future continue, the PAICC has been working hard to craft rules of procedure that would advance the implementation of the objectives contained in the Paris Agreement in a facilitative, collaborative manner with Parties.”
Dr Giedre Jokubauskaite, co-host of CLGD 2021 and a lecturer at the University of Glasgow said: “It was an honour to host this global effort, with these historic advances – the international research and teaching partnerships created here will contribute to key advances in climate legal capacity for Scotland.”
Adv Douglas Leys, QC, receiving the Global Leadership Award as a General Counsel for his world-leading efforts in the Green Climate Fund. Giving thanks to his family and GCF colleagues, he underlined: “this Award acknowledges the leadership role that multilateral development banks can take in building climate resilient futures.”
FOR INTERVIEWS AT COP26, Climate Law & Governance Initiative Executive Secretary, Chairs and Hosts:
ANNEX II – WINNERS OF THE 2021 CLIMATE LAW & GOVERNANCE AWARDS
Each COP, CLGI Partners recognize the leading efforts of climate law and governance practitioners and scholars, and this year’s 2021 Climate Law & Governance Global Leadership Awards recognized the efforts of:
The 2021 Climate Law & Governance Student Essay Competition featured submissions from students across the world, with warmest of congratulations to the laureates:
Legal and institutional transformation is urgently required to support efforts to limit global temperature increase to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels; to adapt to the adverse impacts of climate change; to foster climate resilience and low greenhouse gas emissions development; and to make finance flows consistent with a pathway towards sustainable development.
169 out of 186 countries have stressed the importance of legal and institutional reform in their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) to the global response to climate change under the Paris Agreement. As 99 countries also emphasize in their NDCs, increases in capacity and practice are crucial for implementation and compliance, as new research by the Centre for International Sustainable Development Law (CISDL), the University of Cambridge and other partners from Climate Law and Governance Initiative has shown.
Climate finance in many forms, if private and public law and governance can be mobilised at all levels to accelerate ambition and convert ambition to obligations, is crucial in all respects. Indeed, with many countries pledging net zero emissions by 2050 or sooner, alignment of $130 trillion in finance with the Paris Agreement through the Glasgow Financial Alliance for Net Zero (Gfanz) before 2050, and the Adaptation Fund renewed to higher levels than ever before, law and governance improvements are needed now. For these pledges to meet reality, binding regulations, carefully crafted contracts, disclosure obligations and thousands of other legal tools are required on all levels, rebuilding trust, accountability and compliance towards climate justice.
As Paris Agreement representatives, observers and stakeholders gather in Glasgow for the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) 26th Conference of the Parties (COP26) from 1-12 November 2021, the world also convened a community of leading law faculties and legal institutes, international organization counsel, government authorities, law associations, judges, professionals and others responsible for inspiring, innovating and building law, policy and governance capacity.
The Climate Law & Governance Day 2021 global symposium was held on 05 November 2021 during the UNFCCC COP 26 in Glasgow and attracted over 1,100 registrants from over 120 countries in person and online across 16 world-class leading sessions and 3 high-level plenaries at the 2021 CLGD with thanks to the University of Glasgow. Co-hosted in the United Kingdom by the University of Glasgow, the University of Cambridge and Strathclyde University, together with the CISDL which hosts the CLGI Secretariat and the new NZLA, which is certified as an Accelerator in the Race to Net Zero of the UK Presidency. CLGD 2021 provided an important opportunity to share ideas, debate trends and advances, and build legal momentum for climate action.
CLGD 2021 builds on the success of CLGD 2005 at McGill University during COP11 in Montreal, CLGD 2015 at La Sorbonne Law School during COP21 in Paris, CLGD 2016 at the Université Privée de Marrakech and Hassane I University during COP22 in Marrakech, CLGD 2017 with the University of the South Pacific at the University of Bonn during COP23 in Bonn, CLGD 2018 at the University of Silesia in Katowice, Poland, and CLGD 2019 with the University of Chile at the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid in Madrid, Spain, among other global events and engagements.
This global symposium also built on an extraordinary online pre-conference on climate law and public policy, co-hosted in the University of Cambridge, ‘Climate Change, the SDGs and the Law’ on 29-30 October, 2021, which convened over 750 registrants from over 90 countries across two high-level plenaries and six experts panels, engaging leading law professors together with early career scholars, students and practitioners, co-hosted by the Bennett Institute for Public Policy and many other institutions in the University of Cambridge.
To share outcomes at COP26 itself, on 06 November key municipal, national, and international innovations were shared in an official Side-Event on Net Zero Climate Law and Governance – Advancing Ambition and Action to Implement the Paris Agreement and the SDGs. The interactive roundtable brought together leading experts from the Net Zero Lawyers Alliance, Centre for International Sustainable Development Law and other partners of the Climate Law and Governance Initiative, IKEM, the Asociacion Ambiente y Sociedad and Centro Humboldt.
Further, on 07 November 2021, helping to train a new generation of specialists world-wide, the Climate Law & Governance Specialization Course hosted in the University of Strathclyde certified 163 in person and virtual participants from around the world. Participants gained critical insights from renowned legal experts, deepening their understanding of the legal and institutional mechanisms available to implement their NDCs and the Paris Agreement Indeed, 163 practitioners, scholars and junior members of delegations were certified and recognized as new Climate Law and Governance Specialists at the 2021 Climate Law and Governance Specialization Course, with thanks to the University of Strathclyde, the IUCN World Commission on Environmental Law, CISDL and other partners.
Climate Law & Governance Day 2021 Addresses Crucial Challenges to the Law on Climate Change
Partners in the Climate Law & Governance Initiative (CLGI), building on the vision set by the United Kingdom as UNFCCC COP26 President, as informed by the UNFCCC Climate Dialogues – Climate Law and Governance Roundtable on 04 December 2020, highlighted four key legal challenges facing the world:
Climate Law & Governance Day 2021 – Building Capacity for Legal Action on All Levels
Climate Law and Governance Day 2021 will be followed by a global online Leverhulme Lecture and Distinguished Experts Dialogue on 01 December 2021, to which all media is invited online. The CLGI Secretariat is hosted by the Centre for International Sustainable Development Law based in McGill University (Canada), the University of Cambridge (UK), the University of Nairobi (Kenya) and the University of Chile (Chile).
