Climate Justice Day at COP30 spotlighted the growing role of law in enforcing climate accountability, with activists, judges and Indigenous leaders urging binding commitments, stronger protections for frontline communities and legal frameworks to anchor a just transition in global climate governance.
Climate Justice Day at COP30 brought renewed urgency to legal accountability and just transition efforts on Tuesday, as activists, judges and community leaders gathered at the historic Mercado de São Brás to push for stronger rights-based climate governance. The event, part of the global #LawAtCOP campaign, urged negotiators to deploy legal tools to enforce accountability, protect vulnerable communities and anchor climate justice at the centre of international decision-making.
Bangladeshi youth climate advocate Sohanur Rahman, representing the Global South on the opening panel, warned that legal action must move faster than political hesitation. “Climate justice cannot wait for political convenience,” he said. “Law must be a shield for the most affected, not a privilege for the powerful. We need binding commitments, accessible financing and real accountability for frontline communities.”
The inaugural session featured prominent Brazilian figures, including Luiz Philippe Vieira de Mello Filho, President of the Superior Labor Court; Jurema Werneck, COP30 Envoy for Racial Equality; Indigenous leader Wanda Yitoto; and Sheila de Carvalho, National Secretary for Access to Justice. The discussion was chaired by Caroline Rocha, Executive Director of LACLIMA.
International Court of Justice Judge Leonardo Nemer Brant delivered a keynote address on “International Law and Climate Justice,” underscoring the growing weight of recent advisory opinions from international courts in shaping states’ climate obligations.
Five thematic panels ran throughout the day, examining gaps in national climate plans, corporate accountability, loss and damage litigation, fossil fuel phase-out pathways, land and territorial rights, biodiversity protection and the safety of environmental defenders. Participants from Africa, Asia, Latin America, Europe and the Pacific outlined legal strategies to hold major emitters accountable and advance equitable energy transitions.
The programme also included a theatre performance inspired by Indigenous thinker Ailton Krenak and a musical presentation by Suraras do Tapajós, celebrating the cultural and ecological resilience of Amazonian communities.
Organisers said the event aimed to deepen cooperation between legal experts, civil society and climate-affected communities. LACLIMA, the Global South-based organisation leading the initiative, stressed that climate law has become indispensable for ensuring fair, enforceable and rights-based climate action across all levels of governance.
