Richard Lord , KC

Brick Court Chambers

Richard Lord’s main professional experience is as a commercial litigator, arbitrator and mediator, specialising in maritime and insurance disputes. He is an author of “Bills of Lading”, Informa 2021 (3rd Edn). He has also developed a strong interest in environmental and human rights work, and in particular issues of liability for climate change. He is an editor of “Climate Change Liability: Transnational Law and Practice”, CUP 2011, and one of the authors of the Action4Justice climate change liability guide.

Practice Area

Environment

Panel

Contributing Author

Qualified Year

1981

Year Taken Silk

2002

Experience

Brick Court Chambers (1985 - 2021)
Action4Justice (Chair) (2016 - 2021)

Membership

Supporting Member London Maritime Arbitrators Association
Trustee Climate Justice Foundation
Trustee Of Global Cool until 2018
Board of Climate Accountability Institute
Board Member of Action4Justice

Qualification

MA (1980)

Education

Cambridge University (1977-1980)

1 Contributions by Richard Lord

PRACTICE NOTES

Planning and Climate Change Litigation: Public Law Challenges to Plans, Policies and Consents, EIA Obligations and Leading Cases in England and Wales

Climate change litigation In recent decades, climate change has assumed increasing prominence. As science has advanced on the drivers of climate change and the present and expected effects of warming, impatience has mounted with the pace of law and policy‑making. This sits alongside ongoing international initiatives, notably the 2015 Paris Agreement, under which parties pledge to cut carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions so as to keep the rise in global average temperature well below 2.0 degrees above pre‑industrial levels, and to strive to constrain it further to 1.5 degrees. For further details, see Practice Note: The Paris Agreement 2015-snapshot. Consequently, litigants are turning more frequently to the courts, which are confronting climate arguments in diverse forms and fact patterns. Data released in July 2022 show that, in 2021, litigation continued to grow as a channel for climate action. Far from dampening these cases, the Paris Agreement has energised them. Many domestic laws and policies remain markedly below the Paris ambitions, whether judged by design or probable impact. ‘Climate change litigation’ may potentially encompass...

Planning

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