As part of the Cambridge Seminar Series on Law and the Climate Crisis 2025/26, Professor Ernest Lim (National University of Singapore) will talk about corporate law and climate change, with an opportunity for networking afterwards.
Seminar synopsis:
This presentation explores the external dimension of directors’ duties—whether directors may address climate impacts and other externalities even absent shareholder financial benefits—in contrast to the shareholder‑value focus. Its significance stems from universal investors, the EU due‑diligence regime, and high‑emitting SOEs. Lim examines three arguments: UK nature clauses are constrained by shareholder primacy; US shareholder‑preference claims are undermined by financially driven activism; and SOE directors’ duties can align with state ownership (as shown in China).
About the speaker:
Ernest Lim is a Professor of Law and Vice Dean at the Faculty of Law, National University of Singapore.