The Law of the Land
When Extinction Rebellion first hit the world’s headlines, it was because we were willing to break the law to raise awareness about the climate crisis.
But last year saw a marked shift in climate activism’s relationship with the law. Across the globe communities and organisations have started to use existing laws, and even create new ones, to hold governments and polluting corporations to account.
We’ve seen young people all around the world, from Mexico to South Korea, sue their governments for negligent climate policy. We’ve seen Portugese youth activists have their landmark case against all 33 European states fast-tracked to the European Court of Human Rights. And we’ve seen a vast array of lawsuits brought against major oil firms by US states, cities, and communities.
You can find out more about this flurry of climate litigation in Must Reads, along with some examples where the law is not so much an asset to the climate cause as an ass.
The focus meanwhile for this legal-eagle special issue will be on two campaigns aiming to create new laws for activists to harness in the future.
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with contents
- Action Highlights
- Action Round Up
- Announcements
- Must Reads