It is estimated that by the end of 2019, 25 million people were displaced as a result of natural disasters and conflict – of these 5.1 million people remain displaced. Most of the disaster displacements were the result of tropical storms and monsoon rains in South and East Asia and the Pacific. Environmental and climate change continue to cause problems for communities For example, Lake Chad, providing water and livelihoods to millions of people has shrunk by 90% since the 1960s causing a serious threat to individuals and communities relying on this natural resource.

Not all threats posed by climate change are immediately noticeable. The human health effects of climate change are annually reported on by the Lancet Countdown on Health and Climate Change, a project involving 24 academic institutions and intergovernmental organisations from across the world. Recently there has been climate-related litigation brought against governments under human rights law including on the basis of threats to human health, most notably Juliana vs US and Urgenda v The State of the Netherlands.

Clyde & Co is running a virtual legal hackathon between 1 July and 4 August 2020 in partnership with The Chancery Lane Project. This post is part of a series of updates posted during the hackathon on business-relevant climate initiatives and innovative solutions to some of the challenges arising from climate change.