Herbert Smith Freehills is joining forces with other legal sector leaders to fight climate change through the Net Zero Lawyers Alliance (NZLA) – a coalition of commercial law firms committed to helping the world achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. Justin D’Agostino joined leaders from a number of international law firms and corporates to launch the … Read more

We are proud to be a part of London Climate Action Week 2021 (LCAW), the annual event bringing together world-leading climate professionals and communities across London and beyond to find practical solutions to climate change. Founded in 2019, LCAW is the largest independent climate change event in Europe, helping to shape our future into one that is … Read more

On 21 May, Spain’s Official State Journal (Boletín Oficial del Estado, or BOE), published Law 7/2021, of 20 May, on climate change and energy transition (Law 7/2021) after it had been approved by Spanish Congress. Law 7/2021 entered into effect on the following day. We look briefly at the law below, and for more analysis … Read more

On 29 April 2021, the German Constitutional Court (Bundesverfassungsgericht, “BVerfG“) published its decision on the constitutional challenge of the German Climate Protection Act (Klimaschutzgesetz “KSG“) of 24 March 2021, finding the KSG to be partially unconstitutional. Read more

In December 2020 the UK Government announced its Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) under the Paris Climate Agreement – a target to reduce UK emissions by at least 68% by 2030 compared to 1990 levels. Setting pace to this target, less than five months later the Government announced that it will enshrine in law the “world’s … Read more

The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) has launched a consultation on mandatory climate-related disclosures by publicly quoted companies, large private companies and limited liability partnerships (LLPs). Context of the proposed mandatory disclosure requirements The UK Government aims under its 2019 Green Finance Strategy for all listed companies and large asset owners to make disclosures … Read more

The UK Chancellor of the Exchequer delivered the 2021 Budget to the UK Parliament on 3 March 2021. The budget delivered includes a package of related policy documents, some of which relate to planned commitments to tackle climate change and achieve the Government’s net zero by 2050 ambition. Two of the more interesting aspects of … Read more

On 1 March 2021 the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) published its Final Report on advice under Article 8 of the Taxonomy Regulation. The Final Report outlines the information that non-financial undertakings and asset managers need to provide to comply with their disclosure obligations under the Non-Financial Reporting Directive (NFRD). The Taxonomy Regulation came into force … Read more