Co-Chair
Bill Kritharas
Co-Chair
Els Reynaers
Environment, Health and Safety Law Committee
The Committee addresses, among others, issues as diverse as sustainable development, biodiversity, air, water, groundwater and waste regulation, climate change, safety in the workplace, protection of endangered species, food safety, environment and trade.
Forthcoming conferences and webinars View All Conferences
IBA Annual Conference Toronto 2025
02 Nov - 08 Nov 2025
Toronto , Canada
IBA Annual Conference Copenhagen 2026
04 Oct - 09 Oct 2026
Copenhagen , Denmark
Publications
Summary of the IBA webinar: ‘Ten years since Leghari v Pakistan: the state of play in international climate litigation’
This year, 2025, marks ten years since Asghar Leghari successfully challenged the Pakistan government’s failure to implement its National Climate Change Policy. In recognition of this milestone, in September 2025, the IBA Environment, Health and Safety Law Committee, with support from the IBA Litigation Committee and the IBA Legal Policy & Research Unit, convened a webinar of legal experts including Asghar Leghari himself, to consider the impacts of the decision and the subsequent evolution of climate jurisprudence across the globe, including groundbreaking recent advisory opinions delivered by the International Court of Justice and Inter-American Court of Human Rights.
Released on Oct 20, 2025
Unconventional approaches to ESG compliance in Pakistan
ESG compliance has emerged as the standard by which companies' environmental, social and governance (ESG) practices are evaluated. Companies employ diverse methods to ensure ESG compliance, emphasising the growing importance of social responsibility. This article aims to highlight the laws and policies for companies in Pakistan that promote ESG compliance through unconventional means.
Released on Jul 31, 2023
Biodiversity: why should we worry?
The biodiversity loss theme is growing on the international sustainability agenda; is this a trend that has come to stay? How does it align with demands on climate change?
Released on Jul 10, 2023
Biodiversity: the Nagoya Protocol and its impacts in Brazil
The Nagoya Protocol is an international agreement that promotes the conservation and sustainable use of genetic resources and sharing benefits. It strengthens the contribution of biodiversity to environmental development. In August 2020, Brazil ratified the Protocol: it now has the right to vote and will be able to influence the significant decisions that are still to be made in the implementation procedure of this agreement, promoting a fair and equitable share of the benefits brought by the use of geneti
Past webinar recordings - environment-related
Below is a list of webinars either presented by the Committee or of thematic relevance. Where webinar recordings have a password, IBA members can obtain this by emailing webinars@int-bar.org
- Lessons from Covid: Improving wellness at law firms
1 April 2022
A webinar presented by the IBA Environment, Health and Safety Law Committee, the IBA Healthcare and Life Sciences Law Committee and the IBA Law Firm Management - Decarbonising supply chains in the oil and gas sector
15 Mar 2022
A webinar presented by the IBA Oil and Gas Law Committee
Journal of Energy & Natural Resources Law
Published quarterly, the Journal of Energy & Natural Resources Law (JERL) is the journal of the SEERIL. Featuring contributions written by some of the finest academic minds and most successful practitioners in this area of study, JERL is a highly respected journal committed to reflecting contemporary issues that face the energy and natural resources sectors.
Subcommittees and other groups
The Environment, Health and Safety Law Committee also coordinates the activities of the following subcommittees/working groups.
- Environment, Health and Safety Law Committee Advisory Board
- Presidential Task Force on Climate Change Justice and Human Rights
Join us on LinkedIn
If you are a member of the Environment, Health and Safety Law Committee, for additional networking opportunities, programs, interviews with fellow members and tips all exclusive to members, join our LinkedIn page at: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/12851189/.