- Thursday 1 October
Laws and regulations are meant to protect nature, yet their potential often fails to translate into concrete action. The climate crisis continues to intensify while political responses struggle to keep pace.
The result is a planet under immense pressure — especially in some of the world’s most vulnerable regions.
In this panel debate, we explore how legal action is increasingly being used as a crucial tool for civil society to hold governments and corporations accountable. Climate litigation is emerging as a strategic instrument in the fight for climate justice — a struggle that is not only about legal frameworks, but also about mobilising legal activism and strengthening climate action in practice.
Meet Mariana Gomes, Portuguese lawyer and one of Europe’s most prominent young voices in climate justice. As founder of Último Recurso — the world’s first youth-led NGO focused on strategic climate litigation — she exemplifies how legal action can pressure governments and corporations to act, while ensuring that the green transition respects both people and the planet, especially in the world’s most vulnerable regions.
Together with Helena Reumert Gjerding, lawyer and chair of Naturens Retshjælp, Mariana Gomes discusses how legal activism and strategic climate litigation can transform legislation into a living safeguard for the planet. The conversation is moderated by Alexander Holm and brings together Danish and international examples of how climate litigation can function as an effective and just tool in the fight for nature and the future of the planet.
Participants
- Mariana Gomes, lawyer, founder of Último Recurso, advisor to
- the UN and former advisor to the President of Portugal
Helena Reumert Gjerding, lawyer and chair of Naturens Retshjælp - Alexander Holm, biologist and radio host (moderator)
Language: English
The session is presented by OpEn - the Information and Civic Engagement Fund under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs