News & Insights tag: Law for Climate Action

Q&A with SVI on the True and Fair Project 

21 May 2025

The Centre for Climate Engagement is partnering with Social Value International on the True & Fair Project, which highlights the economic reality that businesses rely on resources such as carbon, water, and labour – many of which impose hidden costs on society. In this Q&A, we ask how the Project aims to address the issue.  More →

CCE partners with SVI to advance sustainability in financial reporting 

15 May 2025

 The Centre for Climate Engagement (CCE) at Hughes Hall, University of Cambridge, is partnering with Social Value International (SVI) to support its True & Fair Project. This collaboration will bring academic insights to help directors and investors integrate sustainability into financial reporting.  More →

2025 CCE and CGI Summer Internship Programme

24 Apr 2025

The Centre for Climate Engagement (CCE) is offering a wide range of internship opportunities for Summer 2025. Now in its fourth year of running, we are delighted to open our applications for this year’s programme. More →

CCE responds to OTP’s Draft Policy on Environmental Crimes 

07 Apr 2025

The Centre for Climate Engagement (CCE) at Hughes Hall, University of Cambridge, has submitted a response to a public consultation on the draft policy on accountability for environmental crimes under the Rome Statute launched by the Office of the Prosecutor… More →

 CCE responds to HM Treasury’s UK Green Taxonomies Consultation 

05 Mar 2025

The Centre for Climate Engagement (CCE) at Hughes Hall, University of Cambridge, has submitted a response to HM Treasury’s UK Green Taxonomy Consultation, drawing on its expertise in climate law and governance. Authored by Nick Scott and Sofie Surraco, the response provides insights on the taxonomy’s role in supporting a sustainable financial system More →

News: Law and Climate Atlas marks milestone of 15k views with UK and US expansion 

23 Jan 2025

The Law and Climate Atlas is a guide to the evolving relationship between law and climate action. This free and comprehensive digital resource maps how various areas of law in the UK and the US are shaping—and being shaped by—climate… More →

Spotlight interview: Law for climate action

16 Jan 2025

To celebrate the forthcoming updates to our Law and Climate Atlas UK and US, we talked to two student interns who worked on the project at the Centre for Climate Engagement over the summer of 2024. Richelle Khor and Camilo… More →

Summary: Law and Climate Change Seminar Series   

17 Dec 2024

This past Michaelmas Term, the Centre for Climate Engagement hosted the first four events of the inaugural Cambridge Seminar Series on Law and the Climate Crisis. Developed by University of Cambridge Hatton Professor of Climate Law, Harro van Asselt, the… More →

Blog: Reflections from COP29 on climate law and governance 

19 Nov 2024

Associate Professor Dr Markus Gehring serves on our new CCE Advisory Group. He is a Fellow and Director of Studies in Law at Hughes Hall, Expert in the Centre for European Legal Studies (CELS), and a Fellow of the Lauterpacht… More →

Blog: Corporate climate (un)accountability? Landmark Shell ruling overturned on appeal 

13 Nov 2024

Shell’s ongoing legal battle over climate accountability reached a pivotal moment on 12 November 2024, as the Hague Court of Appeal delivered its verdict on the company’s appeal. This case has drawn global attention since the initial 2021 ruling, which… More →

Spotlight interview – Dr Jellie Molino  

22 Oct 2024

The Centre for Climate Engagement’s spotlight interview series explores law for climate action through the lens of a range of experts. Dr Jellie Molino is a Post-Doctoral Research Associate at the Centre for Climate Engagement (CCE) at Hughes Hall, with research focusing on private law, procurement, and climate change. She also teaches at the Faculty of Law. We asked her to share her research and experience.  More →

News: The Cambridge Seminar Series on Law and the Climate Crisis

01 Oct 2024

The Cambridge Seminar Series on Law and the Climate Crisis offers unique insights into the role of law and legal systems in response to the urgent issue of climate change. More →

Summary report: Investors’ fiduciary duties and systemic climate risks  

25 Sep 2024

This briefing summarises the final roundtable in a series organised by the Centre for Climate Engagement at Clyde & Co. It explores the link between investors’ legal duties and climate risks, barriers they face in addressing these issues, and possible solutions. While focusing on asset owners with diversified portfolios, the discussion also applies to investment managers. Although the issues discussed are globally relevant, their application may vary depending on legal frameworks in different jurisdictions. More →

Jessica Crow joins the Centre for Climate Engagement as new Hoffmann Fellow

14 Aug 2024

The Centre for Climate Engagement (CCE) at Hughes Hall is delighted to announce the appointment of Jessica Crow as the incoming Cambridge Hoffmann Fellow in Global Climate Governance, with the World Economic Forum and Hughes Hall.  More →

Summary Report: Navigating the landscape of climate law and regulation

10 Jul 2024

‘Navigating the landscape of climate law and regulation: A briefing for boards’ is a new report co-authored by Chapter Zero, Freshfields and the Centre for Climate Engagement, mapping the landscape of legal risks and opportunities for companies as they navigate the net zero transition.
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Professor Harro van Asselt, University of Cambridge

09 Jul 2024

The Centre for Climate Engagement’s spotlight interview series explores law for climate change through the lens of a range of experts.Professor Harro van Asselt holds the Hatton Professorship in Climate Law at the University of Cambridge and is a Fellow at Hughes Hall. We asked him to share his research and his experiences as he approaches the end of his first year in Cambridge. More →

Summary Report: Greenwashing – Legal Risks and Opportunities 

01 Jul 2024

This consideration of greenwashing draws on a roundtable held by the Centre for Climate Engagement in partnership with Clyde & Co, the second in a series of three discussions on legal aspects of sustainable finance. The event brought together academics and legal practitioners to discuss some key legal issues associated with greenwashing, and potential implications for businesses. More →

Consultation Response: OHCHR Call for Input – Climate Change and the Right to Education for Girls

24 Jun 2024

The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) recently issued a call for input to prepare a report on how climate change impacts the realization of the right to education for girls. Our response was written by Léa Weimann, a PhD student from the University of Cambridge Faculty of Law and Sofie Surraco from the CCE, with review support provided by the Global Pact Coalition. More →

Press release: Launch of Law & Climate Atlas US helps lawyers drive transition to net zero  

29 May 2024

The Law & Climate Atlas US is a free online resource which shows how climate change is shaping different areas of law, and how these areas might help drive climate action. Developed by the Centre for Climate Engagement (CCE) based at Hughes Hall, University of Cambridge, in partnership with the Net Zero Lawyers Alliance (NZLA), the US Atlas covers multiple areas of the law, including human rights, securities and finance, tort, contract, international trade, taxation and supply chain considerations.   More →

Directors’ Duties and Climate Change

20 May 2024

Climate change poses financial and liability risks to companies. By addressing these risks, businesses can find opportunities to grow and adapt. Nick Scott’s leadership insight links climate change to directors’ duties and examines how English courts have responded. It summarises direct litigation risks and related legal and non-legal threats and suggests how understanding this issue could help businesses implement effective climate strategies. More →

Blog: Boards can, and must, account for climate change

16 May 2024

Accounting may not seem the most obvious arena for ambitious climate action, but a recent legal opinion highlights real opportunities for boards to drive sustainability through the company accounts. Nick Scott, Manager of the Law for Climate Action programme at… More →

Legal insight: A case note on ClientEarth v Shell Plc

14 May 2024

On 9 February 2023, ClientEarth, a non-profit environmental law organisation and UK registered charity, brought a claim against the directors of Shell plc before the High Court of England and Wales, alleging breaches of their duties as directors for failing to take certain steps to protect Shell against climate-change related risks. This case note gives an insight into the claim, the decision of the High Court and implications for the future. More →

Summary report: Legal considerations for the transition to net zero, a series with Freshfields and Chapter Zero

12 Mar 2024

In 2023/2024, the Centre was delighted to partner with Freshfields and Chapter Zero to run a series of events focused on the intricate legal aspects of transitioning to net zero. The pivotal shift towards corporate sustainability is set to introduce a myriad of legal challenges and opportunities for organisations across various sectors. Non-Executive Directors (NEDs) stand at the forefront of guiding corporate boards through this complex legal terrain. More →

Expert Briefing: Tackling Sustainability in the finance sector

18 Dec 2023

This expert briefing is based on a discussion with David Rouch, a Partner at Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP and author of The Social Licence for Financial Markets (Palgrave Macmillan 2020). More →