Climate change is the defining issue of our time. From rising sea levels to catastrophic weather events, the impact of climate change is being experienced around the world. It presents the single biggest threat to sustainable development. The 'Planet' SDGs highlight the 5 areas of focus required to effectively address climate change in a climate compatible manner.
This module will delve into each of the 'Planet' SDGs, introducing experts in the field who will highlight how the legal community can support the achievement of these SDGs.
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Our introductory panel will host two senior lawyers in practice, who each will provide insights, on how through their practice, they have been able to contribute towards the achievement of the SDGs, and more specifically towards SDGs 7, 12, 13, 14 and 15 which concern the climate, protecting biodiversity and the wider environment.
Please come prepared with your questions.
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Olivia Jamison is an environment and products partner at CMS. Olivia and her team advise organisations on how environment law affects different aspects of business and the transition to the low carbon economy centred around UK and EU law and policy. She is a member of the firm’s ESG Steering Committee, Sustainability Committee and initiated the firm’s commitment to set a Science Based Target in 2018.
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Ever Vimbai Chinoda is an International Animal Law Advocate. She is the Founder and Co-director of an International Non-Profit Organization called Speak Out For Animals (SOFA) that seeks to protect animals through the legal system. SOFA’s mission is to influence the human mindset and inspire behavioral change towards animal and wildlife protection. SOFA achieves this through educating on animal law and lobbying for policies and legislation regarding wildlife. Through SOFA, Advocate Chinoda has facilitated the training of 20 lawyers, 100 Prosecutors, 60 Magistrates and 40 Investigators on wildlife laws. In order to establish greater legal protections for animals, her organization engages in case monitoring of wildlife crime cases and training workshops for those in the Judicial System. She has also authored Wildlife Law books that is the Wildlife Guide and Wildlife Law Code and most recently, a Rapid Reference Guide (RRG) commonly known as a Prosecutor’s Toolkit to assist stakeholders in combating wildlife crime in Zimbabwe. Chinoda also sits on the board of International Anti-Poaching Fund and Zambezi Conservation Alliance as an advisory member.
Academically, Chinoda obtained her Bachelor of Law Honors from the University of Zimbabwe in 2010 and she holds a Master’s degree in Animal Law from Lewis and Clark Law School, USA. In 2012 she worked as a lawyer for the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority and she has also worked as a prosecutor for three years under the National Prosecuting Authority in Zimbabwe where she prosecuted several wildlife cases.
In 2021 Chinoda was recognized amongst the top 100 young conservation leaders in the world. Chinoda’s vision of a generation that is conscious about the need of conserving flora and fauna has pushed her to create the first ever Wildlife Law module in Zimbabwe which has commenced at Great Zimbabwe University, Herbert Chitepo Law School and will later cascade to other institutions. Chinoda is a renowned international speaker who continues to inspire attitude change on issues regarding conservation of wildlife.
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Climate change is one of the greatest challenges humanity faces. SDG 13 is to take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts. The Paris Agreement set ambitious goals for global climate policy but national and regional policy and business and investment strategies need to align with these goals to make them happen.
In this session we will look at how law can be used not only to drive the integration of climate-related financial risks into business and investment decisions but shift the behaviour of corporate and financial institutions and hold them accountable for their environmental externalities.
Alex Lombos joined ClientEarth in January 2022. As part of the organisation’s Climate programme, his work is focused on reducing the climate impact of the banking sector – with a particular focus on Asia (excluding China). Alex also works on greening central bank policy.
rior to joining ClientEarth, Alex worked in the financial litigation practice of Simmons & Simmons in London, with a focus on banking disputes and regulatory investigations. Alex is qualified as a solicitor in England and Wales.
This session will provide insights into the work of The Chancery Lane project, started by a group of legal specialists to respond to the climate crisis. Their work focuses on how the legal sector can actively work to ensure their clients activities are aligned to achieving Net zero, primarily through contracting.
Becky Annison trained in a city law firm and spent 12 years practising commercial law at a large multinational corporation. She has taken all that knowledge and experience and is happily plugging into climate solutions as the Director of Engagement at the Chancery Lane Project. She is also a co-host on the Thomson Reuters legal podcast: The Hearing.
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Lizzette Robleto de Howarth is the Chief Programmes Officer at A4ID and is responsible for leading on the overall programmatic strategy of the organisation. Prior to joining A4ID, she was International Programmes Manager at the Law Society of England & Wales. In 2020, she helped set up the new Global Compact & Forum for SDG-16, under the auspices of the World Bank. In 2016, she created the International Rule of Law programmes (IRoL), leading their implementation for six years; including the International Women in Law (IWiL) programme and the Capacity Building programmes and co-created the Lawyers at Risk programme. She also designed and led research on the rule of law globally and gender equality in the legal sector.
Before joining the Law Society, she worked for over 16 years in the international development sector focusing on influencing changes international policy on issues relating to the rule of law, gender and women’s rights, business and human rights, governance and parliamentary affairs, statelessness and migration, illegal logging and the environment.
Lizette LL.B Law (Hons.), a LL.M Human Rights (Merit), and a LL.M International Economics Law, Justice, and Development (Distinction) from Birkbeck (University of London), where she is also currently undertaking her PhD. She is a Chartered Manager Fellow of the Chartered Management Institute (CMgr FCMI), a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts (FRSA), a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA), and a member of The Honourable Society of Inner Temple
