Making Climate Law Work

qLegal Team
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Exploring how legal tools shape climate action in practice, from the Energy and Climate Change Law Institute and qLegal at Queen Mary University of London.

Episodes

  1. Jun 2

    Climate change and corporations: the new way of doing business

    "Shareholders and consumers can influence corporations to move in clean energy and sustainable directions, and that is the key driver for the transition."  Climate law is no longer just a regulatory concern; it's a boardroom reality. Hosts Nikola Duper and Alisa Ainonen are joined by Iyesogie Igiehon ESG Managing Associate at Linklaters London, and Jessica Hargreaves, Senior Associate in Energy & Infrastructure at Linklaters, to examine how the energy transition is reshaping corporate strategy and governance. From greenwashing risks to the demands of the CSRD and CSDDD, the episode asks a pointed question: are law and markets genuinely driving corporate climate action, or is compliance still outpacing commitment?  Please note: This episode was recorded before recent escalations in the Middle East. Some context may have shifted since recording.   Link to our guests' social media accounts:   LinkedIn: Jessica Hargreaves, linkedin.com/in/jessica-hargreaves-2478b935      LinkedIn: Iyesogie Igiehon, linkedin.com/in/iyesogie-igiehon

    33 min

  2. May 19

    Loss and damage: who is paying the global climate bill?

    "Litigation is an exercise of narration. Lawyers working in the climate space should not shy away from the science, because understanding it is key to building your argumentation."  For decades, Loss and Damage was a diplomatic taboo, too close to the language of legal liability for UN negotiators to touch. Now, as climate impacts become irreversible, the courtroom is catching up. Hosts Manuela Motta Zini and Julieta Herrera are joined by Jameela Joy Reyes, specialist at the Grantham Research Institute at LSE, to explore who is being held accountable for the climate bill and how. From the landmark Lliuya v. RWE case, where a Peruvian farmer took on a German energy giant, to the challenge of quantifying losses that have no price tag - cultural heritage, biodiversity, home. This episode asks whether regulatory compliance is still a viable defence against foreseeable harm, and what it really takes to win a climate case.  Link to our guest's social media accounts:   Instagram: @jameela.joy   LinkedIn: Jameela Joy Reyes, linkedin.com/in/jameela-joy-reyes-joy-29400797/     Key references:  Global Trends Report 2025,  commentary on reparations, and  commentary on Lliuya v RWE takeaways.

    45 min

  3. May 5

    Law and governments: the power of climate litigation

    "This debate about the proper role of courts in relation to climate action will continue - both inside and outside the courtrooms."  Courts are increasingly being asked to do what governments won't. Hosts Alisa Ainonen and Nikola Duper sit down with King's Counsel Sudhanshu Swaroop of Twenty Essex to trace the growing power of climate litigation - from the landmark Urgenda ruling to the European Court of Human Rights' decision in Verein KlimaSeniorinnen. What do these cases mean for state accountability, the separation of powers, and the legal standing of those most affected by climate change? Sudhanshu maps what has shifted since Urgenda, and identifies three trends set to shape the courtroom battles ahead.  Link to our guest's social media accounts: LinkedIn: Sudhanshu Swaroop KC, linkedin.com/in/sudhanshu-swaroop-kc-5796822/  Key references:  - Sabin Center for Climate Change Law – The Climate Litigation Database  - Urgenda Foundation v. State of the Netherlands, Supreme Court of the Netherlands, 20 December 2019  - Verein KlimaSeniorinnen Schweiz and Others v. Switzerland, European Court of Human Rights, 9 April 2024

    29 min

  4. Apr 21

    International law and state obligations: who enforces them?

    "The energy transition is a force that's unstoppable."  States have made sweeping promises on climate. But what happens when they don't keep them? In this episode, student hosts Julieta Herrera and Manuela Motta Zini sit down with climate barrister Harj Narulla to interrogate the gap between ambition and accountability. From NDCs to net-zero targets, they unpack what states are actually committing to and whether any of it is legally enforceable, or simply a system built on reputation.  Link to our guest's social media accounts: LinkedIn: Harj Narulla,  linkedin.com/in/harj-narulla-249651293/

    38 min

  5. Apr 21

    Setting the scene: making climate law work

    What role can the law really play in averting a climate crisis? In this opening episode, James Dallas, Executive Director of the Energy and Climate Change Law Institute at Queen Mary University of London, sits down with Professor Silke Goldberg, Partner at Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer and Honorary Professor at QMUL, for a wide-ranging conversation that sets the scene for the series ahead. From the legacy of the Urgenda case in the Netherlands to the slow machinery of international climate diplomacy, Silke reflects on where the law has made a difference, where it has fallen short, and what the episodes to come will reveal about the legal tools shaping our response to the climate crisis.  Link to our guest's social media accounts: LinkedIn: Silke Goldberg, Partner at Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer, https://www.linkedin.com/in/silkegoldberg/  Key references:  Angry Weather: Heat Waves, Floods, Storms, and the New Science of Climate Change by Freddie Otto

    35 min

  6. Apr 15

    Introducing Making Climate Law Work

    Making Climate Law Work is a podcast from the Energy and Climate Law Institute and qLegal at Queen Mary University of London, exploring how legal tools shape climate action in practice.  Each fortnight, we speak with the lawyers, academics, and experts working to turn climate ambition into real‑world action: from carbon markets and corporate accountability to environmental litigation and the deals shaping our net‑zero future.   Season 1 release schedule  Episode 1: 21 April Episode 2: 21 April Episode 3: 5 May Episode 4: 19 May Episode 5: 2 June Episode 6: 16 June  New season launches Tuesday 21 April. Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.

    2 min

  7. Apr 15

    Sirens

    The composition ‘Sirens’ reflects on the powerful forces of nature in this Anthropocene era.   Concluding with a key change and notes of optimism and stability, this brief melody is intended to evoke feelings of; beauty and danger; warning simple humans of the repercussions of their fantastical short term temptations, and to realistically redress and rebalance their longer term role on this living planet.    Isis, a young teen at the time of composing this tune, attends an academy school in Southwest Scotland. Isis was born in East London. Aged 6, she moved to an otherwise uninhabited island with her family and four Shetland lambs, where she was home educated and necessarily gained a daily understanding of life and death through the seasons and the untameable seas. She moved to a village in the county of Dumfries and Galloway aged 8 to attend ‘real / mainland’ school. Her bio is relevant to this composition in the sense that, for her age, she has a thorough understanding of incredibly diverse environments - from one end of the country to the other - from inland man-made metropolises to wild and agricultural, coastal environments.

    1 min
  • 7 Episodes

About

Exploring how legal tools shape climate action in practice, from the Energy and Climate Change Law Institute and qLegal at Queen Mary University of London.

Information

  • Creator
    qLegal Team
  • Years Active
    2K
  • Episodes
    7
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Making Climate Law Work
  • Show Website
    Making Climate Law Work