Our humble beginnings
C2LI was originally an idea incubated in the University of Strathclyde by academics specialising in the field of climate litigation. It was inspired by a book co-edited by two of our founding co-directors Dr Francesco Sindico and Dr Makane Moise Mbenge called Comparative Climate Change Litigation: Beyond the Usual Suspects.
Initially, we focused solely on our open access, searchable online Litigation Knowledge Hub which allows users to obtain information on climate change litigation in over 30 countries, grouped for ease of understanding into three common litigation scenarios. The information is collected and analysed by an international network of researchers and legal analysts, along with jurisdiction -specific legal experts and academics, called National Rapporteurs.
For each scenario the online platform provides information relevant to legal standing, grounds, and remedies. Our Knowledge Hub also refers to cases not specifically about climate change that may be relevant to inform how future climate cases might progress around the three litigation scenarios.
A new era
Although C2LI will continue to offer and expand our Knowledge Hub, at C2LI we want to inform and empower organisations, and the people of those organisations, about climate law, climate-related legislation, regulation & policy, and climate change-related litigation.
The IPCC’s last report stated clearly – with the climate emergency, there is a rapidly closing window of opportunity. We have 6 years left to limit global warming to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels and to avert the worst climate-related impacts. We already know the solutions and changes that need to be made, but action must happen now, or it will be too late.
One of the keys to preventing further climate breakdown and ensuring the climate emergency is no longer an existential threat is to bring about transformational change across multiple sectors that moves us past business-as-usual climate damaging behaviours.
We do this in the hope that, for a variety of reasons, this legal intelligence, combined with a growing understanding of impacts, risks and opportunities of climate-related laws, will enable organisations to make better-informed decisions – and that, ultimately, these decisions will lead the transformational climate action that is necessary in this moment.
This is a more proactive way of working with corporations, governments and other organisations, who stand to lose time, money, resources, and reputations when they are not fully compliant with climate-related laws. These organisations and entities can be better global citizens and reap the benefits of all that goes with that whilst we at C2LI, at the same time, contribute to the rapid systems change that is urgently needed right now before 2030 – before it is too late.
Our purpose
To use the power of the law to encourage and enforce transformational climate action
Our vision
We envision a world where climate-legal literacy enables bold, climate-positive action.
Our solution
We harness the power of law to close gaps in climate-legal knowledge to enable bold climate-positive action
Our mission
To grow legal knowledge and strengthen expertise in the law, to drive just and transformational climate action