The free market poses a difficult challenge for solving common-good problems like plastic pollution, bad air, and destruction of nature. We all want a strong economy with good jobs and affordable and convenient products and services, but at what (hidden) cost?
Who can we trust to regulate and shape this? Bodies like the UN or EU, or even individual countries? This is where ClientEarth comes in. They are an NGO that started almost like a law firm for the planet: legal experts fighting for better laws and holding polluting companies and dawdling governments accountable for their actions, and over time built a stellar close to 300-strong global team to battle the climate and biodiversity crises armed with the law.
An interesting trend - the so-called “Brussels Effect” - is the EU’s increasing role as the world’s regulatory superpower, setting standards that companies need to adopt worldwide if they want to produce in or sell to the EU, as well as influencing consumers and legislators across the globe in other ways. As part of its work, ClientEarth seeks to harness that power for people and the planet.
Adam Weiss, the Regional Director of Programmes for Europe, will tell us how ClientEarth works, the biggest challenges, and how we can “change the system within the system.” We have long been admirers of Client Earth’s work, and look forward to being inspired on how to drive change from an unexpected angle.
