The escalating impacts of climate change, nature loss and pollution are pushing the boundaries of our legal system and climate litigation is increasingly being filed around the world by private and public actors alike. In the face of this triple planetary crisis, judges, as custodians of justice, find themselves adapting, innovating, and leading in unprecedented ways.
Our client, ClientEarth is one of the world’s most ambitious organisations, working in partnership across borders, systems and sectors, using the law to protect life on earth. In October 2023, they contributed to the Asia Pacific Judicial Training on Environment and Climate Law Adjudication in Ciawi, Indonesia, a collaborative effort aimed at addressing the legal challenges arising from climate change and natural resource depletion.
Led by the Agency for Research and Judicial Training of the Supreme Court of the Republic of Indonesia, the program was organised along with the Indonesian Centre for Environmental Law and supported by the United Nations Environment Programme and reinforced the crucial role of judges in delivering climate justice, while working towards more effective and environmentally sustainable outcomes in courtrooms across the region.
The event brought together over 70 judges from across Asia and featured distinguished speakers, including Justice Antonio Benjamin of Brazil, an environmental law luminary and Justice Ayesha Malik, the first female Supreme Court Judge of Pakistan. A delegation of Chinese judges from the Supreme People’s Court of China also joined the training and gave lectures on China’s judicial practices in addressing climate change and biodiversity loss. Judges explored the complexities of adjudicating environmental cases, delving into the intersection of climate science, human rights, corporate law, and emerging legal frameworks.
The attendees also visited the Meteorological Institute and the Mangrove Restoration Agency in Jakarta where they saw first-hand the impacts of climate change and actions taken for adaptation and mitigation.
Visit the ClientEarth website here.
