AS the founder of Client-Earth, James Thornton is a lawyer offering hope. There may be some people, suspicious of the law, to whom this may seem like an oxymoron. However, Mr Thornton is an unusual lawyer, with an extraordinary brief he takes from the earth itself. On its behalf, he wants to stop climate change, save wildlife, clean up the oceans and purify the air. He’ll do this—and more—to help all of us, using legal means. Impossible? Think again. ‘So far,’ says Mr Thornton in his habitually soft, lightly American voice, ‘everything we’ve tried has been successful.’
Look at what happened to air pollution in Britain. ‘Forty thousand people were dying early from it every year. There was a clear law, to which the UK Parliament had signed up. But the Government had not brought air into compliance.’ The deadline to do so was 2010. A polite solicitor’s letter elicited the response that the Government would give no thought to the issue until at least 2025.
‘So we went to court on behalf of all breathers of air. The supreme court gave us an injunction; we have since been back to court twice. Slowly, plans are being written—too slowly, but they are being written.’ This has not only been achieved by victory in the courts. ‘Parents all over the country are demanding clean air.’ Legal action works best when supported by a popular campaign.
Esta historia es de la edición October 30, 2019 de Country Life UK.
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Esta historia es de la edición October 30, 2019 de Country Life UK.
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