ABOUT US
Legal experts with a shared belief that New Zealand can lead the fight against climate change.
Founded in 2019, we are lawyers who use the law to drive more effective action on the climate crisis. We are barristers, solicitors, and legal academics who come from all over New Zealand and have specialist expertise in many different areas of the law.
The scientific evidence shows that climate change will cause global catastrophe unless we cut emissions now and achieve zero net carbon emissions by 2050.
We believe that New Zealand can and should do more in the global fight against climate change. We want to make sure that New Zealand meets its obligations under the Paris Agreement to reduce emissions and that it does so in a way that is evidence-based, effective, and consistent with the rule of law, Te Tiriti o Waitangi, international law, and with the New Zealand Bill of Rights Act.
Lawyers for Climate Action NZ Inc. is a New Zealand registered charity. Our mahi is powered by volunteers, and our low overheads are funded through our members, individual donors, and philanthropic foundations.
Our Purpose:
Using the law to drive climate action.
“Limiting warming to 1.5°C requires us to reduce global net CO2 emissions by about 45% from 2010 levels by 2030, reaching net zero CO2 emissions by around 2050, with concurrent deep reductions in other greenhouse gases, particularly methane.
- Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, “Global Warming of 1.5°C”, October 2018”
We use the law by:
1. Bringing Strategic Climate Litigation to hold governments and companies to account, increasing accountability and ambition
2. Advocating for legislation and policies to ensure New Zealand meets or exceeds its commitment under the Paris Agreement to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 50 per cent below 2005 levels by 2030
3. Providing a pro bono matching network, connecting our members with community groups working to fight climate change from across the country
4. Running webinars and producing resources to support lawyers in Aotearoa New Zealand to become part of the solution to climate change, building a community of climate-conscious lawyers
Read about our recent work and wins here:
Help us make a bigger impact today
Join our community of nearly 400 members and receive monthly updates on our work, the opportunity to contribute, and connect with other members.