ClientEarth is a pioneering environmental law charity that uses the power of the law to protect life on Earth. With the planet facing unprecedented challenges - from climate change and deforestation to plastic pollution and species extinction - ClientEarth works across borders, systems, and sectors to drive transformational change. They aim to create a future in which people and planet thrive together by strengthening environmental laws, ensuring they are enforced, and empowering people to defend their rights to a healthy environment.

How they do it

ClientEarth takes a systemic approach to environmental protection. They work to strengthen the entire legal system - from influencing how laws are written to ensuring they are properly applied and enforced by courts and regulators. The charity supports communities most affected by environmental degradation, ensuring they can participate in decision-making and access justice when laws are broken. ClientEarth also works to align economic and financial systems with environmental goals, shifting incentives and finance flows to drive necessary change.

Recent achievements

• This year ClientEarth has secured two major victories: winning a landmark case against the UK government over its inadequate climate strategy and supporting Dutch campaigners in a successful case against KLM's greenwashing practices.
• In 2023, the charity achieved significant milestones, including winning its first-ever agricultural case in Italy to protect citizens and the iconic Lake Vico from intensive farming pollution and filing a legal complaint against US-based agricultural giant Cargill over its contribution to soy-driven deforestation and human rights violations in Brazil.
• 2022 saw ClientEarth launch a pioneering legal case against Shell's Board of Directors, seeking to hold them personally liable for failing to manage climate risk and prepare for a net zero future, while also joining legal action against TotalEnergies over the company's misleading advertising and greenwashing practices.
• In 2021, after a 13-year-long fight, ClientEarth won the right for all people to challenge the EU in court on decisions that break environmental law, and launched the Greenwashing Files, investigating and exposing the misleading advertising claims of some of the world's biggest fossil fuel companies.

In numbers

• Working in over 60 countries around the world
• 140+ active cases tackling pressing environmental challenges
• 300+ staff across 8 global offices
• 1,500+ judges trained in environmental law in China alone

Affected lives

In the heart of Europe lies the Białowieża Forest, a UNESCO World Heritage site and the last remaining primeval forest in the EU. This ancient woodland, straddling the border between Poland and Belarus, is home to countless endangered species, including the European bison and the three-toed woodpecker. When the Polish government tripled logging quotas in the forest in 2016, ClientEarth sprang into action. They lodged a complaint with the European Commission, arguing that the decision violated EU conservation law. The case eventually reached the Court of Justice of the EU, which issued a ban on logging and threatened Poland with fines of €100,000 per day for non-compliance. ClientEarth's tireless efforts, alongside grassroots resistance from Polish citizens and international NGOs, helped protect this irreplaceable ecosystem. For the communities living in harmony with Białowieża and the countless species that call it home, ClientEarth's work was a lifeline, ensuring that this ancient forest remains a bastion of biodiversity for generations to come.

Team

ClientEarth's team is a diverse and talented group of individuals committed to protecting life on Earth. The charity's legal experts come from a wide range of countries and jurisdictions, enabling ClientEarth to effectively navigate complex environmental challenges across different legal systems and cultures. The Global Board of Trustees brings a wealth of experience and perspectives, with members spanning a range of ages. The executive team, led by a group of dedicated and skilled women, is well-equipped to steer the organization towards its mission. With this international and multi-disciplinary team, ClientEarth is well-positioned to drive systemic change and build a future in which people and planet thrive together.