Senior Researcher, Sophy Bristow, has been leading our project on locally determined contributions with partners in Cambridgeshire to establish a governance framework to effectively reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The last of three workshop events took place recently, and a report will follow soon.

She recently wrote a blog called ‘Empowering communities: The importance of local action in the transition to Net Zero,’ for the Academy of Social Sciences, published as part of their Campaign for Social Science's Election 24 project. The article also referenced work by Research Associate, Dr Samuel Ruiz-Tagle on planning law and the UK’s Levelling-up and Regeneration Bill.

The Law & Climate Atlas US is a free online resource which shows how climate change is shaping different areas of law, and how these areas might help drive climate action. Developed in partnership with the Net Zero Lawyers Alliance (NZLA), the US Atlas covers multiple areas of the law, including human rights, securities and finance, tort, contract, international trade, taxation and supply chain considerations.

The Atlas received hundreds of views in its first week of publication, which was followed by a free webinar featuring representatives from the CCE and NZLA to discuss the relevance of climate change to US law and explore how lawyers can navigate critical changes in their clients’ operating environment, playing and active and enabling role in the transition to net zero.

Our leadership insight with Simon Glynn provides an in-depth analysis of why, and how, companies and boards should use a theory of change approach to drive meaningful climate and sustainability impact for their stakeholders. He argues that a focus on risk management alone is insufficient, and that boards must grasp the essence of impact to navigate the uncertainties of climate action to ensure a sustainable and resilient business model.

Accounting may not seem the most obvious arena for ambitious climate action, but a recent legal opinion highlights real opportunities for boards to drive sustainability through the company accounts. The Manager of our Law for Climate Action programme, Nick Scott, discusses the possible implications in a blog article.

Climate change poses financial and liability risks to companies. By addressing these risks, businesses can find opportunities to grow and adapt. Nick Scott’s leadership insight links climate change to directors’ duties and examines how English courts have responded. It summarises direct litigation risks and related legal and non-legal threats and suggests how understanding this issue could help businesses implement effective climate strategies.

As a knowledge partner for Chapter Zero in the UK, the CCE writes regular UK Climate Policy Briefings which are shared with Chapter Zero's network of over 3000 non-executive directors in the UK. Our May briefing highlighted several concerning indications of deceleration in net zero progress. It also discussed an increasing focus on assessing the Government’s performance against its green transition commitments, in preparation for the upcoming general election.

The Climate Governance Initiative published our briefing on International Transition Planning in April. This covers the essentials of net zero transition planning and its integration at board-level, including global frameworks, local regulatory approaches, and the future outlook of transition planning.

This consideration of green taxonomies draws on a roundtable held by the Centre for Climate Engagement in partnership with Clyde & Co, the first in a series of three discussions on legal aspects of sustainable finance. The event brought together academics and legal practitioners to discuss challenges and opportunities presented by green taxonomies, the direction of travel for these mechanisms, and how they might impact the way that businesses and investors operate.

On 9 February 2023, ClientEarth, a non-profit environmental law organisation and UK registered charity, brought a claim against the directors of Shell plc before the High Court of England and Wales, alleging breaches of their duties as directors for failing to take certain steps to protect Shell against climate-change related risks. This case note written by Nick Scott gives an insight into the claim, the decision of the High Court and implications for the future.

The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) recently issued a call for input to prepare a report on how climate change impacts the realization of the right to education for girls. Our response was written by Léa Weimann, a PhD student from the University of Cambridge Faculty of Law, and Sofie Surraco from the CCE, with review support provided by the Global Pact Coalition.