Climate crisis ‘threatens rule of law and civilisation’, lawyers warn, in call to end fossil fuel linksMore than 170 prominent lawyers have signed a letter warning that breaching the 1.5C temperature goal established by the Paris Agreement could cause mass loss of life and the breakdown of the rule of law. Backed by the Good Law Project, a not-for-profit organisation that uses the law to protect the interests of the public, and climate charity Plan B Earth, the open letter urges lawyers to commit to climate justice and cease any operations linked to fossil fuel companies. “The City is one of the largest global centres for financing fossil fuel projects, assessed in 2019 as supporting at least 15 per cent of global emissions. It also found that the top 100 firms litigated a total of 358 cases for fossil fuel clients in the past five years. “Instead, lawyers must use their influence for good, supporting their clients in making the urgent transformation to business practices that are required to avert disaster.”

Source: The Times September 15, 2022 16:53 UTC