Lawyers’ pledge for climate action

It was a distinct and singular honor for the leader of the NCP, Antonio Oposa, to be requested to join a group of world-renowned Environmental Lawyers to sign a Lawyers’ Pledge for Climate Action. To give global visibility to the Normandy Chair for Peace.

The World Lawyers’ Pledge on Climate Action is an open letter from and to the global legal community, calling for the mainstreaming of climate concerns throughout the law and legal profession. It seeks to rethink and redefine the role and responsibilities of lawyers in the climate crisis, and invites lawyers of all kinds including practitioners, judges, scholars, civil servants, law students, and lawmakers to integrate climate concerns into their respective areas of expertise and work. The magnitude and urgency of the climate crisis require all lawyers, not just environmental lawyers, to be part of the solution and contribute to climate-protective legal development.

The signatories of the World Lawyers’ Pledge on Climate Action, as concerned members of the legal community, commit ourselves to taking action against climate change. To this end, we will take personal and institutional responsibility, to the best of our abilities and within our respective fields of activity and expertise. We will cultivate a heightened awareness of the relevance of our activities to climate change and vice versa, and seek to integrate, address, and mitigate climate concerns throughout our professional life. We call upon the global legal community including practicing lawyers, judges, academics, civil servants, law students, lawmakers, and all others working in and with the law to join us in this vital endeavour. Together, we can initiate, foster, and sustain the change necessary to avert climate catastrophe, and transition our societies and laws towards a sustainable future.