Climate Justice

Natural resources form the core of many economies around the world, providing a source of livelihood for millions of people. But the disproportionate rise in demand for these resources is raising questions about the sustainability of investments in this sector. As the commitment to a low-carbon future grows amid concerns over climate change, IDLO believes that the rule of law can facilitate efforts to tackle such grave problems with the help of robust legal frameworks. Climate change has a polarizing effect, aggravating inequalities and reducing access to justice for those most at risk.

IDLO has been exploring how legal reform can encourage sustainable investment in the energy sector and promote climate justice. IDLO's guidebook on The Role of Legal Instruments to Support Green, Low-Emission and Climate-Resilient Development, produced in partnership with United Nations agencies, provides step-by-step assistance to governments in assessing, selecting and implementing legal instruments to deliver these goals.

Director-General Jan Beagle Video message at the HLPF side event Climate Justice: Gender Equality and Women's Empowerment

Climate Justice: Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment

WEBINAR | Thursday, July 8, 2021| 12 pm to 1.30 pm EDT

IDLO Director-General, Jan Beagle's Statement on World Environment Day

Statement by the Director-General, Jan Beagle, on World Environment Day

IDLO Director-General, Jan Beagle's Statement on International Mother Earth Day

Statement by the Director-General, Jan Beagle, on International Mother Earth Day

On Earth Day, IDLO joins the international community in committing to build back better and greener from the COVID-19 pandemic, towards achieving the 2030 Agenda.

Statement by the Director-General, Jan Beagle, Ministerial Meeting for the Launch of the Online Platform on Sustainable and Resilient Recovery from Covid-19

The COVID-19 pandemic and climate change are the defining challenges of our time. While both are real and present dangers, climate change represents a far more massive existential threat to future generations than what the world has experienced so far with COVID-19.

Climate and Conflict in the Sahel: a Rule of Law Perspective

WEBINAR

In fragile contexts, the immediate impacts of climate change on precipitation and temperatures risk to combine with political and social tensions exacerbating destructive competition over scarce natural resources.

Climate and Conflict in the Sahel: a Rule of Law Perspective

This is tragically evident in Africa’s semi-arid Sahel region, where recurrent droughts, population growth and weak governance are increasing pressure on land and water

Empowering village paralegals to protect Indonesia’s peat lands

Indonesia is home to half of the earth’s tropical peat lands, which cover 11 per cent of the country’s land area. Composed of partially decayed vegetation or organic matter, peat lands in Indonesia are highly biodiverse and store 60 billion of the world’s 88.6 billion metric tons of carbon held in tropical peat.

Access and benefit sharing of genetic resources

Participants from Africa, Asia-Pacific, Latin America and the Caribbean joined workshops, organized by IDLO in The Hague, Guatemala and Bali, to explore legal frameworks for implementing the Nagoya Protocol.

Key Initiatives

Building Climate Resilience in Kenya

Climate change is threatening to reverse Kenya’s progress on poverty reduction and exacerbate economic and social inequality. In order to build resilience and outline a low-carbon approach to development, IDLO has assisted the Kenyan Government in drafting a comprehensive National Climate Change Action Plan 2013-2017. This technical assistance included compiling a Legal Preparedness Assessment Report and establishing a Climate Law Working Group, made up of law students from Kenya’s leading universities.
Climate Change in Mexico and Beyond

In 2011, IDLO and IFAD began assessing Mexico’s climate regulations at the federal and state level. The aim was to enhance local capacity to stimulate climate-positive reform and development. With the world’s first Legal Preparedness for Climate Change Assessment Report (L-PAR), IDLO comprehensively analyzed existing and potential laws and regulations on climate change, and identified gaps and innovations.