Climate Counsel

Climate Counsel pursues environmental justice through international criminal law. They investigate situations involving destruction of the natural environment and harm to dependent communities. They litigate on behalf of affected communities to bring perpetrators to justice.

Climate Counsel is a team of former United Nations (UN) lawyers dedicated to environmental and climate justice. With decades of experience at the UN international criminal tribunals, Climate Counsel use their expertise in war crimes and crimes against humanity to tackle the environmental crisis.

Climate Counsel is a non-profit foundation (stichting) registered in The Hague, the Netherlands, the home of international law. Climate Counsel are certified as the equivalent of a U.S Certified Public Charity by NGOsource.

“We partner with forensic architects, photographers, and scientists to build rigorous case-files and to present publicly our evidence.”

Climate Counsel confronts climate emergencies with a range of tools.

Investigations

Climate Counsel conducts investigations into situations involving severe harm to the natural environment. They focus on cases involving possible violations of Rome Statute crimes that were committed by means of, or that result in, the destruction of the environment, the illegal exploitation of natural resources or the illegal dispossession of land. Climate Counsel works with INTERPRT (a spatial research and design studio) and photographers to include visualizations, remote sensing analysis, maps and video evidence.

Advice & Advocacy

Climate Counsel conducts advocacy to promote remedies for victims of environmental crimes and advises global activists on legal strategies. They coordinate closely with environmental groups, including Fridays for Future, Greenpeace, Global Witness, CCCA, NOT1MORE and the Stop Ecocide Foundation. Climate Counsel can assist with stakeholder engagement, human rights impact assessments, and corporate polices.

Litigation & Sanctions

Climate Counsel files cases before the ICC and regional human rights courts. Their multilingual team supports national lawyers to bring cases before national courts. In related actions, Climate Counsel files applications to states requesting targeted individual sanctions against individuals and businesses who destroy the environment whilst engaging in corruption and/or violating human rights, such as under the US Global Magnitsky Act.

Law Reform

Climate Counsel provides advice and assistance to states and regional institutions seeking to address environmental and climate crimes at state-level or within a region. Climate Counsel assists States to draft national laws and to navigate the international landscape from both a diplomatic and legal perspective. Climate Counsel provides advice to European MEPs on amending the EU Directives pertaining to environmental crimes.

News

Ecocide Law Advisory — UCLA Law The Promise Institute Europe

THE HAGUE – The International Court of Justice (ICJ) holds public hearings in the advisory proceedings on Climate Change – Nauru; Nepal; New Zealand; State of Palestine and Pakistan | UN Web TV