International law recognises the principles that sovereign states i) have control over their own resources and ii) must not cause harm to the territory of other states. The UK Government is knowingly pursuing policies that contribute towards a climate catastrophe that will render whole regions of the world uninhabitable, in violation of the
no harm principle.
The UK legal profession, taken as a whole, plays a major role in supporting the fossil fuel economy, that is already killing and displacing many people throughout the world, and which now also threatens all of our futures. The City of London is one of the largest global centres for financing fossil fuel projects, assessed in 2019 as supporting at least 15% of global emissions. Those who peacefully protest against the climate crisis are treated as criminals: on just one day last year, more than 50 peaceful climate protestors were jailed in the UK.
We did not join the legal profession or study law to facilitate mass loss of life or the collapse of the rule of law. To the extent that our rules of professional conduct require us to support courses of action which contribute towards these outcomes, we reject them, and will accept the personal consequences.
Please join us by signing the Declaration via the form below.