Public Law and the Planet - online version

How can we use the law to ensure governments deliver climate justice?

At a time when the impacts of the climate crisis are becoming ever more urgent, this event offers a vital space for people committed to using the law to hold those in power to account.

This conference will provide a forum for legal advocacy and activism, bringing together community groups, lawyers, NGOs, and policymakers to share insights, strengthen networks, and help drive meaningful change.

Presented in partnership with King’s Legal Clinic, the Centre for Climate Law and Governance, the Administrative Fairness Lab and Landmark Chambers.

This page is for booking online only version of the event, which has slightly reduced programme.

Date: Tuesday 3 March from 10:00 to 18:00
Location: Online via Teams

Ticket pricing

Standard: £80
For those in private practice, government and public bodies
Discounted: £65
For NGOs, charities, trainees, pupils and paralegals, researchers and academics at universities
Concession: £30
For community groups or smaller charities with under circa £250k income
Contribution: £20
For organisations or individuals with very little training budget
Student: £10
For students in full-time education making the booking using a valid university email address
Free / complimentary tickets: Available to activists and campaigners with no budget. Please contact [email protected].

Please note:

We will be sharing Teams joining links for all sessions – please feel free to choose the breakouts you prefer.
Unfortunately, we are unable to issue invoices for tickets under £50 due to our finance policy.
We are hosting free live webinar, ‘An introduction to public law for environmental campaigners’, on Tuesday 24 February to help those less familiar with public law and the environment to prepare for this event. Please book here.

Programme

10:00 Welcome to delegates

Sue Willman KC (Hon), King’s Legal Clinic

10:00-10:15 Opening address

Jamie Peters, Interim CEO, Public Law Project

10:15-11:00 Debate: How do we best use the law to tackle the climate and nature crisis?

Our panel will debate perspectives on the use of the law, from using public law to enforce and improve climate governance, to campaigning for better law and policy, to protest and civil disobedience.

Chair: Professor Megan Bowman, Centre for Climate Law & Governance, King’s College London
Tessa Khan, Uplift
Tim Crosland, Plan B Earth
Kate Tandy, Office of Environmental Protection

11:00-11:50 Environmental and climate governance: The duties on the state

What are the UK’s duties to tackle climate change and biodiversity loss? We’ll consider this question in the light of the International Court of Justice (ICJ)’s ruling in July 2025, as well as the impact of related opinions from the ITLOS and the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACtHR) and other sources. Our panel will also consider the duty on states to regulate private actors effectively.

Chair: Dr Leslie-Anne Duvic-Paoli, King’s College London
Margherita Cornaglia, Landmark Chambers
Harj Narulla, Doughty Street Chambers

11:50-12:10 Break

12:10-13:10 Morning breakout (choose one of two)

1. Climate reparations

This session looks at state responsibility for ensuring there are reparations for rights and nature violations, including displacement, caused by climate change and related impacts. It will take a cross disciplinary approach looking at public law, public international law and corporate responsibility where there are clear regulatory or state failures. Our panelists will specifically look at how climate change is accelerating coastal erosion, which disproportionately affects smaller coastal communities across the UK.

Chair: Samantha Knights KC, Matrix Chambers
Harj Narulla, Doughty Street Chambers
Dr Niccolò Ridi, Centre for International Governance and Dispute Resolution (CIGAD), KCL
Yumna Kamel, Earth Refuge
Simon Measures, Save Hemsby Coastline

2. Data rights and evidencing environmental campaigns and cases

This session will look at data rights, enforcing transparency and obtaining relevant data, as well as preparing and presenting evidence for campaigns and cases.

Lucas Amin, Investigative Journalist and co-founder at Democracy for Sale
Josephine Moulds, The Bureau of Investigative Journalism
Alex Shattock, Landmark Chambers
Frances Beddow, Mishcon de Reya

13:10-14:15 Lunch

14:15-15:15 Domestic courts and climate change: challenges and opportunities
The panel will reflect on the role of UK domestic courts in responding to climate change. It will also explore the opportunities (and challenges) associated with implementing international legal developments in the UK domestic context.

Chair: Alex Goodman KC, Landmark Chambers
Dr Sonam Gordhan, King’s College London
Niall Toru, Friends of the Earth
Ricardo Gama, Leigh Day
Estelle Dehon KC, Cornerstone Barristers

15:15-16:30 Afternoon breakout

3. Developing and enforcing Rights of Nature (choose one of two)

This session looks at the concept of the rights of nature, and how campaigners and lawyers are advancing the concept in the UK, in other jurisdictions and internationally.

Chair: Alice Wood, Public Law Project
Paul Powlesland, Garden Court Chambers
Monica Feria-Tinta, Twenty Essex, author of A Barrister for the Earth
Emma Montlake, Environmental Law Foundation
Professor Jérémie Gilbert, Professor of Social and Ecological Justice, Southampton Law School

4. Working with communities internationally

This panel will discuss the question: ‘How are communities working with lawyers internationally, and particularly in the UK, to use the law to enforce rights – both through soft law approaches and through the courts?’.