This summer has once again reminded us of the escalating toll of a rapidly warming climate. Right across Australia, communities have faced and are continuing to deal with destructive bushfires, flooding and extreme heat. Sadly, the climate instability that we are seeing now will only worsen until Australian governments, along with all major greenhouse gas emitters and suppliers, cease their climate-wrecking addiction to coal, gas and fossil fuels.

Sanity seems in short supply right now, with Australian governments disregarding the International Court of Justice’s findings on states’ obligations to address climate change, and the United States embracing overt climate denial and roadblocking international progress on climate action.

As legal professionals committed to climate justice, our role in advocating for stronger climate governance, safeguarding communities and supporting system reform has never been more vital. This moment calls for informed action and collective purpose across the Australian legal profession. 

Lawyers for Climate Justice Australia has an exciting start to 2026 planned with some upcoming events (below).

The injustice of extreme heat

Extreme heat is a profound issue of climate injustice because its impacts hit hardest on people and communities with the least ability to cope. This summer, the mercury topped almost 50 degrees in parts of inland South Australia, Victoria and New South Wales, making international headlines.

Heat is the deadliest type of extreme weather event, but its impact is stealthy and silent, unlike the destructive effects of floods, bushfires or storms. Law has an important role to play in reducing heatwave harm. We need laws that explicitly support heat equity. Planning, workplace health and safety, employment, tenancy and housing laws are all relevant to how people experience heat in daily life. Policies and programs that map and monitor heat inequality in our cities and suburbs are required to deliver widespread, comprehensive cooling support programs. Australian jurisdictions can and must legally prepare for heatwaves. 

LCJA is starting an extreme heat and law project in 2026. If you would like to help work on this issue, please email us at contact@lawyersforclimatejustice.org to register your interest. 

And, just in case you missed it - our friends at Sweltering Cities ran an incredibly hot(!) and impactful campaign to mark Extreme Heat Awareness Day on 4 February. Be sure to check out their resources and sign up to follow their great work.

Upcoming events

International Women’s Day Webinar

Defending tomorrow: Women using the law for climate justice

Wednesday 4 March at 1pm

Join us in the lead up to International Women’s Day to spotlight the remarkable work of women climate defenders who are using legal strategies to confront climate harm and protect communities. This webinar is an opportunity to hear about why climate change is a gender issue, and to recognise the scale of women-led climate action in Australia.

From our friends and partners

Our friends at Law Students for Climate Accountability Australia are close to launching their Scorecard on Climate Action and accompanying report. This work, being led in collaboration with US LSCA, ranks Australian law firms' complicity in the worsening climate crisis by analysing the work firms do on behalf of the fossil fuel industry. We cannot wait to share news of their scorecard launch in 2026!

New open access textbook: Becoming a Climate Conscious Lawyer 

Climate Conscious Lawyers is a network of law academics and educators who are seeking to embed climate change across Australian legal education. Their mission is to transform legal education to ensure the next generation of lawyers can deliver legal services and promote climate justice in a climate transformed world. 

This month in Melbourne, climate conscious lawyers launched an open access textbook, Becoming a Climate Conscious Lawyer: Climate Change and the Australian Legal System. It is a free and accessible online textbook with 28 chapters and almost 50 authors on every Priestley 11 topic and many law electives. 

Topics include climate change and tort law, constitutional law, administrative law, company law, legal theory, taxation law, international law, human rights law, labour law, public health law, personal and corporate insolvency law - and many more.

You can now follow us on Instagram! 

LCJA has joined Instagram - because all climate justice advocacy deserves a good grid 🙂 Follow us for bite-sized updates and help grow our online presence.

Get involved

Spread the word about LCJA across your legal networks. 

We welcome lawyers of all hues to help grow our movement. If you are attending a legal conference or industry event in 2026, and you would like to ‘fly the flag’ for LCJA, your support is valuable and welcome. To get in touch or ask any questions, please email us at contact@lawyersforclimatejustice.org