United Nations Climate Change Conferences

COP 29

November 5, 2024: Enabling action and enhancing ambition: what can we expect at COP29? This webinar is presented by the International Bar Association (IBA) Legal Policy & Research Unit, supported by the IBA Business Human Rights Committee and the IBA Energy, Environment, Natural Resources and Infrastructure Law Section.

November 11- 22, 2024: COP29 in Baku, Ajerbaijan. A panel titled, “Beyond National Frameworks: Lawyers and Law Associations Enhancing Ambition Through Legal Approaches,” will take place in the Blue Zone on November 21st.

ABA Delegation:

Kristi Disney Bruckner, Initiative for Responsible Mining Assurance (Virtual)
John C Dernbach, Widener University (Virtual)
Renee Dopplick, ABA (Virtual)
Amy Edwards, Holland & Knight (Virtual)
Tracy Hester, University of Houston (Virtual)
Kamran Jamil, Morrison & Foerster (In-Person)
Roger Martella, General Electric Company (Virtual)
Thomas O'Keefe, Mercosur Consulting Group (Virtual)

Adam Orford, University of Georgia (In-Person)

• Read his blog post on Completing The Article 6 Rulebook here.

  Read his blog post on Climate Trade Protectionism here.

• Read his blog post titled, “Attending COP29 — Darkness and Light,” here.

Uma Outka, University of Kansas (In-Person)
Steven Richman, Clark Hill (Virtual)
Benjamin Stansfield, Gowling WLG (Virtual)
Achinthi Vithanage, Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University (Virtual)

November 2024: Climate Law and Governance Day. A recording of this program is available here.

ABA News: July 2024

ABA SEER member Achinthi Vithanage is dedicated to the climate change cause, and she traveled to Bonn, Germany last month for a deep dive into how lawyers and bar associations can make progress on the goal of achieving net zero emissions. Read more here.

COP 28

November 30 - December 12, 2023 (UAE)

UNFCCC website | Dubai COP28 website

Schedule

Dec. 5: Climate Law and Governance Day webinar | Virtual

Open to the public, but requires payment of registration fee.

Dec. 8: "Everything, everywhere, all at once": Why lawyers are essential to tackling the triple planetary crisis | 1:00pm – 7:30pm GST | Palace Downtown, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Blvd., Dubai, UAE.

Co-sponsored by IBA, OAB, LSEW, and ABA. Includes pre-recorded video remarks by ABA President Mary Smith

Key speakers include the Global Head of Public Affairs and Policy for ClientEarth; representatives from the organizing bar associations; the President of the Law Association of Zambia; the CEO of the Net Zero Lawyers Alliance; the CEO of CPA Canada; and a representative of the Voluntary Carbon Market Initiative.

Dec. 11: Blue Zone Event on the Role of Lawyers in Combating Climate Change  | 4:45pm to 6:15pm GST

Co-sponsored by the IBA, OAB, and ABA

Event will be posted on the UNFCCC YouTube channel. Representatives from the organizing bar associations will be speaking.

Past Programs

Bonn Climate Change Conference

This conference took place June 5-15, 2023, and hosted a number of mandated events based on COP27 and continued discussions on issues of critical importance.

Utilizing the Law as a Key Tool Toward Addressing Climate Change and Promoting Equity

During this program, held on November 12, 2022, speakers explore the role of lawyers, bars, and law societies in addressing climate change. Panelists include: Marie-Claire Cordonier Segger, University of Cambridge, CISDL; Selina Lee-Andersen, McCarthy Tétrault LLP; Roger Martella, Chief Sustainability Officer, General Electric Company; Letícia Perrone Campos Mello, Brazilian Bar Association; Moderated by Lara Douvartzidis, International Bar Association.

Legal Associations and Bars at COP27: What happened in Sharm El-Sheikh and what's next?

This program, held on November 10, 2022, provides an overview of the two events held at COP27 that were co-hosted with the American Bar Association, the Brazilian Bar Association, and the Law Society of England and Wales. The session continues discussions on the role of lawyers in tackling the climate crisis and the utilisation of lawyers in implementing climate commitments. Panellists also talk about plans for 2023, including attendance at COP28, which is due to take place in Dubai in late 2023.

Resources

ABA

• Book: Sustainability Essentials: A Leadership Guide for Lawyers (2022)
• Climate Change resolution (#111) (2019)
• Environmental Justice resolution (#513) (2021)
• Environmental justice resources webpage
• Climate Change Committee 

  • ABA Representatives and Observers to the United Nations                                    

• Article: Advocating for the Future
• Article: The Growing Importance of Sustainability to Lawyers and the ABA
• ABA Panels: Virtual NGO CSW66 Forum
  This annual event is one of the largest gatherings of UN entities, global leaders, the private sector, and women’s rights advocates to focus on the rights and empowerment of women and girls. The ABA Panels at the Virtual NGO CSW66 Forum are organized by the ABA Representatives and Observers to the United Nations, ABA Rule of Law Initiative, ABA Center for Human Rights, and ABA Commission on Women in the Profession.
  • Panel One: Judicial Independence and Women Lawyers and Judges
  • Panel Two: Women's Empowerment for Climate Empowerment
  • Panel Three: Business and Human Rights: Advancing Safe and Inclusive Workplaces
  • Panel Four: Indigenous Women and Climate Justice

United Nations

• 2015 Paris Agreement (adopted in December 2015 by the 21^st COP and entered into force on November 4, 2016)
• United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), U.N. Doc. A/AC.237/18 (1992), reprinted  in 31 I.L.M. 849 (1992)
• Resolution A/76/L.75 Right to a Clean, Healthy, and Sustainable Environment (161-0-8 vote)
• Race to Zero Campaign

International Bar Association 

• Climate Crisis website
• Model Statute for Proceedings Challenging Government Failure to Act on Climate Change
• IBA Climate Crisis Statement (May 5, 2020)
• Achieving Justice and Human Rights in an Era of Climate Disruption (July 2014)

European Union

• European Convention on the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms (ECHR)
• Oslo Principles on Global Climate Change Obligations 

Law Society of England and Wales

• Climate Change Resolution (10-28-2021)
• Press Release: Milestone Climate Change Guidance for Solicitors (April 2023)
• Guidance on the Impact of Climate Change on Solicitors

Canada

• Resolution 11-05-A (August 2011)
• Climate Leadership Resolution failed to pass (02-17-2021)

G7 Bars

• Resolution on Lawyers at Risk and Recommendations to the G7 governments

Australia

• Climate Change Policy (November 27, 2021)

Japan Federation of Bar Associations

• Declaration to Aim for a Sustainable Society Averting Climate Crisis (October 15, 2021)

International Development Law Organization

• Climate justice resources
• Climate Justice for Women and Girls: A Rule of Law Approach to Feminist Climate Action
• Climate Justice: A Rule of Law Approach for Transformative Climate Action

Court Cases

• Juliana v. United States, USDC – District of Oregon, Case No.: 6:15-cv-01517-TC
• Massachusetts v. EPA, 549 U.S. 497 (2007)
• Royal Dutch Shell Oil Netherlands Case
• West Virginia v. EPA

U.S. Congressional Actions

• Inflation Reduction Act (IRA)
• Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA)

U.S. Government Agency Actions

• Securities and Exchange Commission Proposed Climate Disclosure Rule

Additional Resources

• Article: The ABA Embraces Sustainability: From the Earth Summit to Rio 20 and Beyond
• Article: Lawyering as if Tomorrow Matters
• COP27: Your Guide to the 2022 UN Climate Conference By The Nature Conservancy
• Chancery Lane Project
  • Net Zero Toolkit (organized by practice area, industry and climate action pathway)
• Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change: 2022 Impacts, Adaptation, and Vulnerability Summary for Policymakers
• World Lawyers’ Pledge on Climate Action
• The Sabin Center for Climate Change Law, Columbia Law School

The opinions expressed in the resources listed on this page are those of the authors and they do not purport to reflect the opinions or policies of the American Bar Association or the Section of Environment, Energy, and Resources.