CLA News / Welcome from the Editors to the Inaugural CLA Climate Justice Newsletter on Earth Day 2026
Welcome to the inaugural Climate Justice Newsletter, which brings together legal scholarship, practice‑based reflection, and critical analysis of key climate law challenges from across the Commonwealth. The contributions are inspired by the themes of the CLA Sabah Declaration on Climate Justice, adopted at the conclusion of the Borneo Rainforest Law Conference held in February 2024.
The Sabah Declaration articulates a compelling legal response to the accelerating climate crisis that is clearly founded on rule of law, human rights, justice and equity. For lawyers across the Commonwealth, this raises urgent questions about the adequacy of existing norms and the evolution of legal obligations in the context of a rights-based approach.
Contributors in this issue engage with key themes of the Declaration, including the application of restorative justice to climate conflicts and critical legal frameworks for carbon markets. Several articles consider the role of the courts in climate litigation, including protection of climate defenders, missed opportunities to advance children’s environmental rights and recognition of the rights of nature. Case notes provide accessible summaries of key proceedings including implications of the ICJ Advisory Opinion for the Caribbean, the status of proceedings before the African Court of Human and People’s Rights and ESG developments in the English courts. Other contributors consider how climate action can be integrated into legal education to create climate-aware lawyers of the future.
Taken together, these pieces reflect a recognition that climate change is a systemic challenge that cuts across many areas of substantive law with shared challenges across the Commonwealth. The Sabah Declaration reminds us that effective legal responses must be grounded not only in robust science, but also in principles of access to justice, equity and the rule of law.
This newsletter is released on Earth Day 2026 as part of CLA’s commitment to raising awareness about environmental issues and encouraging climate action. As editors, we offer this Earth Day issue as a space for critical engagement and professional reflection on climate justice for practitioners across the Commonwealth.
Editors: Fiona Ey, Laurie Watt and Hasan Khan.
