{"id":67722,"date":"2024-06-12T15:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-06-12T13:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www-dev.greenpeace.org\/international\/?page_id=65203"},"modified":"2025-11-13T10:58:12","modified_gmt":"2025-11-13T09:58:12","slug":"breaking-the-mould","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/international\/about\/legal\/breaking-the-mould\/","title":{"rendered":"Breaking the Mould"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n
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Breaking the Mould<\/h1>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

The strategic litigation team of our Legal Unit<\/a> contributed to the Edward Elgar Research Handbook on Climate Change Litigation (2024)<\/em> with a chapter about strategic litigation titled “Breaking the mould in the strategic design and implementation of climate litigation”<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Enjoy free access now<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>
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Breaking the mould in the strategic design and implementation of climate litigation<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Just as the image of a harpoon flying over an activist in a raft towards a whale created history; a meritorious legal action can serve a similar purpose.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We made a conscious choice to embark on a journey to understand, learn and streamline in our practice a movement lawyering approach. We are a work in progress, and this is a snapshot of where we are at this point in time. We invite academics and practitioners to re-shape their strategic thinking and embark on their own journey in breaking the mould. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

– Greenpeace International Legal Unit’s strategic litigation team<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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Using the law with “humility, love and courage”<\/a><\/mark><\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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This book chapter explores the heart of the process of designing climate litigation by digging into the questions of who<\/em> defines what is strategic and how<\/em>?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

It explores breaking from the predominant model of top-down litigation, in order to co-create strategies that are truly rooted in people power from inception. The climate emergency is at its core a question of environmental and social justice, human rights and equity \u2014 so the process of litigating strategically should apply an intersectional approach and address the different layers of oppressive power; it should be defined and led by the affected communities and movements seeking to achieve long-lasting systemic change beyond the courtroom. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

We distil practical guidance, grounded on a theoretical framework, by exploring lessons from successes and failing forward, based on the experiences of legal practitioners, campaigners, communities and movements on the ground. We discuss the imperative of co-creating strategic litigation with affected communities at the centre, the opportunities, the process and key considerations of the design stage, the risks and finally, the lessons for the future generation of climate justice cases.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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Stories Breaking the Mould<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Around the world communities are using the law to change their stories.<\/p>\n\n\n

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The Movement Lawyering at Greenpeace Project<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBreaking the mould in the strategic design and implementation of climate litigation\u201d is part of the Movement Lawyering at Greenpeace Project.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our vision is to help achieve systemic change by building truly<\/em> people-powered projects where the legal strategies are crafted and driven together with the campaign, lawyers and local communities with the ultimate goal of co-powering these communities, exchanging knowledge and skills, building together our collective capacity, know-how and power.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We support organised communities in using strategic litigation as one of many tools to lead their own fight and enhance their power and capacity to take charge of their own destiny.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Contact Us<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Are you a law student, professor, or legal practitioner interested in learning more about Greenpeace\u2019s strategic litigation work? We\u2019ll be offering periodic webinars, please drop us a line!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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