(Texto também disponível em português)
On November 11, the Climate Justice Across Borders day brings together experts to strengthen global and local climate action; the event is open for all
CCCA operates at the intersection of environmental, economic, and legal dimensions of climate change to develop responses that foster greater responsibility. These three dimensions are brought together in the special opening program of the CCCA Climate Hub, a space designed as a meeting point for connection and collective action during the parallel events of the 30th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP30) in Belém.
Under the theme “Climate Justice Across Borders,” the CCCA Climate Hub will open its doors to the public on November 11, in the heart of Cidade Velha (full address below). Admission is free and does not require prior registration or credentials.
Lawyers, scientists, and everyone interested in the intersection of data and law are invited to attend the event. Throughout the day, four panels will explore how knowledge and evidence from territories inform transnational legal action, and how new frontiers in climate litigation can strengthen local struggles for justice. [See full program below.]
CCCA’s Executive Director, Colin Black, highlights how the Climate Justice Across Borders day reflects the organization’s focus: “CCCA works to transform how the world understands and confronts climate crime, revealing its connections to the global economic system and promoting real accountability for its impacts. One important aspect of this work is connecting local harm and local communities to international actors and transnational tools for creating systemic change.”
Elias Munduruku, Indigenous leader from the Planalto Santareno Territory and one of the speakers of the day, will share his experience of living in a threatened land. “Being in this space alongside jurists, lawyers, allies, and other Indigenous relatives is an opportunity to strengthen our voice and ensure that climate decisions take into account the voices of Indigenous peoples”, he emphasizes.
Gathering specialists
By bringing together leading voices from Latin America and the world, the sessions will discuss how local and national efforts intersect with global accountability frameworks, what challenges remain in translating local realities into transnational claims, and how collaboration across jurisdictions can strengthen both local protection and global ambition.
The panels will feature contributions from experts at CCCA, Global Witness, Mighty Earth, ClientEarth, the Articulation of Indigenous Peoples of Brazil (APIB), the Office of the Attorney General, the Federal Public Prosecutor’s Office, the African Climate Alliance, the Foundation for International Law for the Environment (FILE), Instituto Clima e Sociedade, Fern, Laclima, and other partner organizations engaged in monitoring the intersections between climate and justice.
Laurence Duprat, Senior Civil Society Adviser at Global Witness, underlines that the Climate Justice Across Borders day, organized in the heart of the Amazon, is an unmissable chance to advance and strengthen the civil society climate movement to work together and achieve collective change.
“Global Witness and CCCA have been working as partners to expose how national and international financial institutions are fueling deforestation in Brazil, and how forests people’s lives are suffering from it”, she says. “We will be there to contribute to this important dialogue, we will ask governments for increased commitments and regulations to protect forests and their people, and hold banks and corporations accountable for the harm they have caused”, she adds.
Recent legal decisions will drive and inform the discussions
Over the past 18 months, a series of rulings from regional and international courts have significantly advanced and clarified states’ duties to address climate change. In July of this year, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) issued a landmark opinion affirming that all states have a legal obligation to protect the climate from anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions.
The ICJ held that a failure or omission to take measures to protect the climate system may constitute an “internationally wrongful act,” potentially leading to legal consequences for states. A similar position had already been established by the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACHR), which, earlier in the same month, concluded that states have a duty to protect human rights in order to ensure climate stability.
These decisions followed other historic developments from the previous year. In April 2024, the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) ruled that the Swiss government’s climate policies violated human rights.
The judgment stated that the right to private and family life obliges states to protect their citizens from the “serious adverse effects” of climate change. In May 2024, the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) concluded that emissions from fossil fuels and greenhouse gases are absorbed by the oceans and therefore qualify as marine pollution.
Other significant cases are still pending, such as one before the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights, which has the potential to further consolidate these principles. Given the jurisdiction of these courts, the rulings primarily address the responsibility of states—but they are not limited to states’ duties regarding their own activities.
How to use the power of law
Many of these recent decisions emphasized that states also have duties to address climate change and reduce emissions by regulating and controlling the activities of individuals and corporations under their jurisdiction. They recognized that it would be impossible for states to meet their obligations to combat climate change without effectively regulating the emissions and other climate-impacting actions of corporate actors.
What new opportunities emerge in the wake of these landmark decisions? How can the obligations they establish be translated into concrete action, including through domestic legal strategies? How can public authorities drive or support climate-related legal action, linking institutional enforcement mechanisms with civil society initiatives?
These are just some of the questions that will guide the discussions during the Climate Justice Across Borders day, which will also highlight mechanisms such as the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) and the Soy Moratorium in preventing deforestation and protecting rights. The sessions will reflect on the risks of weakening these frameworks, and on what their implementation—or lack thereof—means for people and territories on the frontlines of the climate crisis.
The day will conclude with a call to action that connects policy, enforcement, and lived experience—emphasizing accountability and the need for stronger alignment between global commitments and local realities.
>> FULL PROGRAM <<
10:00 – 10:15
Opening Moment
Colin Black, Executive Director (CCCA)
10:30 – 12:00
What insights do Latin American experiences provide into how transnational litigation can safeguard ecosystems, rights, and lives?
- Laura Furones (Global Witness)
- Glenn Hurowitz (Mighty Earth)
- Laura Clarke (ClientEarth)
- Dinaman Tuxá (APIB)
- Nora Cabrera (Nuestro Futuro)
- Mariana Cirne (CASP, Professor of IDP and CEUB)
- Teresa Villac (AGU – Chief Prosecutor of the National Office for Climate and Environmental Defense)
- Mediator: Caio Borges (FILE – Director for Latin America)
12:00 – 13:00
Legal Strategies to Drive Government and Corporate Action in the Wake of the Advisory Opinions
- Yujung Shin (Solutions for Our Climate – SFOC)
- Celiwe Shivambu (African Climate Alliance)
- Helena Rocha (CEJIL)
- Nine de Pater (Miliudefensie)
- Mediator: Ben Batros, Director of Legal Strategy (CCCA)
13:30
Lunch Break
15:30 – 17:00
The Role of Authorities in Climate Legal Action
- Daniel Azeredo – (MPF)
- Natália de Melo Lacerda – (AGU)
- Gabriel Mantelli (LACLIMA)
- Walter Simoni (iCS)
- Moderator: Alice Thuault (Instituto Centro de Vida)
17:00 – 18:30
Closing Panel: A Call to Action
- Elias Munduruku (Munduruku territory)
- Bruno Morais (CCCA)
- Txai Surui (Kanindé)
- Igor Spíndola (MPF)
- Nicole Posterer (FERN)
- Moderator: Giulia Bondi (Global Witness)
18:30 – 19:00
Closing Remarks
19:00 – 21:00
Evening Gathering
CCCA Climate Hub
Address: Travessa Capitão Pedro Albuquerque, 395, Cidade Velha, Belém
Dates: November 11–20, 2025
Opening hours: Monday to Friday, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. (except on days with special programming, as detailed in the calendar above)
How to get there: Google Maps
(Written by Raisa Pina)