Climate Justice in the Courts: Centering Communities, Women and Girls, and Human Rights in Legal Responses to the Climate Crisis
As the climate crisis accelerates, the law is becoming a critical battleground. Courts around the world are being called on to address climate inaction and protect the rights of those most affected.
This panel will explore how legal strategies are advancing climate justice and reshaping the legal landscape, highlighting grassroots leadership, transnational collaboration, and the intersection of environmental justice, human rights, and gender.
By centering the leadership and lived realities of communities, women, and girls, we’ll explore transformative strategies rooted in collective resistance and community-based organizing.
This event is hosted in partnership with Women’s Link Worldwide and the Smith Family Human Rights Clinic at Columbia Law School.
Climate Justice in the Courts: Centering Communities, Women and Girls, and Human Rights in Legal Responses to the Climate Crisis
Date: Wednesday, September 24, 2025
Time: 9:00 – 10:30 a.m. EST
Location: New York City Bar Association, 42 W. 44th St., New York
Speakers
- Kelsey Jost-Creegan, Deputy Director and Senior Supervising Staff Attorney at the Smith Family Human Rights Clinic, Columbia Law School
- Adam Weiss, Chief Programmes and Impact Officer, ClientEarth
- Cristel del León, Lawyer and Human Rights Defender, Espacio Encuentro de Mujeres
- Jovana Ríos Cisnero, Executive Director, Women’s Link Worldwide
Moderator: Sarah Sax, Journalist and Researcher, Climate Rights International
Introduction by Nathalya Desterro, Environment Program Advisor, Vance Center
