Ensuring climate defenders have a fighting chance.

Until those who fight for our planet’s future have lawyers to defend them, the struggle for a 1.5 degree world will be difficult to sustain.

Our Strategy

Wealthy fossil fuel companies have armies of white-shoe firms, and governments have teams of lawyers, while climate defenders scramble for support. We may never completely level the playing field, but we give climate defenders a fighting chance through a four-pronged approach:

We provide legal advice and strategy

We advise climate defenders on how to mitigate and address legal reprisals and work with local lawyers to ensure the best representation possible.

We fund lawyers and legal NGOs

Pro bono legal help isn’t available in most of the world and lawyers need to be paid. We identify key legal NGOs to partner with and provide them with funding, as well as pay private lawyers when necessary.

We coordinate legal support for cases

We identify the legal issues and risks, connect climate defenders with the right lawyers, and stay involved in cases to ensure that defenders get the legal support they need to do their critical work.

We build and connect a global legal network

Building on what already exists, we strengthen a network of diverse lawyers who bring the kind of legal expertise (tax, defamation, criminal defense, etc.) the climate movement both lacks and needs. We “build the bench” to bring new legal talent into the movement.

Where we work

We prioritize “hot spots” where high-impact fossil fuel projects combined with repressive or risky legal environments raise the stakes for climate activism.

Featured
Stopping the Mountain Valley Pipeline
HYPER HOTSPOT
Appalachia, United States
Stopping the Mountain Valley Pipeline
HYPER HOTSPOT
Appalachia, United States

The Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP) is a proposed fracked gas pipeline that could run a nearly 400-mile route from West Virginia to Virginia and North Carolina, threatening communities and one of the most diverse temperate forests in the world.

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HYPER HOTSPOT
Appalachia, United States
Protecting People, Livelihoods, and Land from a Crude Oil Pipeline in East Africa
HYPER HOTSPOT
Western Uganda and Eastern Tanzania
Protecting People, Livelihoods, and Land from a Crude Oil Pipeline in East Africa
HYPER HOTSPOT
Western Uganda and Eastern Tanzania

The proposed East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP) is a 1,443-kilometer pipeline connecting oilfields in western Uganda with the port of Tanga in eastern Tanzania. The project could displace more than 100,000 people. In response, CliDef has supported young climate activists, including university and high school students facing arrests, frivolous criminal charges, detentions, and lawsuits for their work with the #StopEACOP campaign.

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HYPER HOTSPOT
Western Uganda and Eastern Tanzania

We’re working to keep people safe at major climate events

Wherever world leaders are gathering to discuss climate progress and goals, CliDef is there to ensure that climate defenders and activists know-their-rights and have legal representation to ensure their safety and protection from bad actors who seek to silence their voice.

Join us

Given the complex threats they face, legal defense for climate defenders is a fundamental component of any strategy to address the climate crisis. Please contact us to learn how to support and get involved in our work.