Dear Members
Love is in the air this month with Valentine’s Day approaching, and we loved seeing many of our members at LVF’s second birthday event a few weeks ago! Love can come in many different forms including loving our planet, and as Dr Seuss wrote in the Lorax: “Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot nothing is going to get better, it’s not” – so we want to thank you, our members, for the love and commitment you share to the planet and to LVF ❣️
This edition of the newsletter includes:
- Details of our events last month
- A summary of our February Knowledge Session
- Our upcoming events
- Volunteering opportunities to pursue your passions
- Showing some love to some inspiring initiatives
LVF events in January
Members-only Webinar
Thank you to all members who joined our members-only webinar led by new LVF Stewardship Committee member Orla Heatley on ‘Who May Speak for Nature in Court? Standing and Representation Issues in Climate Litigation‘ (pictured below). Orla gave a wide ranging and thought provoking presentation – focusing on climate mitigation cases against governments, she discussed standing thresholds in different jurisdictions, use of class actions in climate litigation, trusteeships for nature, use of specialist environment courts, potential for reform in this area – and lots more!
Anniversary event 🥳
Legal Voices celebrated turning two years old last month, and we hosted an informal get together in London for members. It was so nice to see so many of you there!
February knowledge session
Our first knowledge session of 2025 on AI, Environment & the Law was led by LVF member Klara Lee – and what a way to start the year! If you missed it, catch the recording here.
We began with a group discussion comparing two artworks, one generated by AI and the other created by a human – we found it very hard to tell which artwork was created by AI, which evoked a variety of emotions around the room!
Klara’s presentation masterfully guided us through the definitions that form the foundations of this rapidly evolving technology, and highlighted the tension between the opportunities AI provides and its environmental impacts. Klara was then joined by a panel of experts for a very engaging panel discussion: Mika Morisette (Senior Associate specialising in ESG at HSF), Alexander Amato-Cravero (Director of Emerging Technology at HSF) and Bruna Sellin Trevelin (Legal Counsel at Hugging Face). Highlights included:
- Hearing the ways AI interacts with existing environmental regulation throughout the lifecycle of AI data centers, (i) at initial planning approval for data centers, as planning moves towards taking into account the full life cycle of projects (recently demonstrated in Finch!), (ii) once in situ, water and energy resources used by data centers, and (iii) the ‘death’ of data centers (waste management and decommissioning).
- Learning about the concerning rise of data center colonialism, or ‘technocolonialism’, where tech companies build data centers in resource-rich but economically disadvantaged / environmentally unregulated regions, often exploiting local infrastructures, labour, and resources without offering sufficient benefits to communities.
- A discussion around the challenge regulators face as AI technology evolves, in balancing fostering innovation with ‘right size regulation’ for the sector.
So, we’ve heard a human take on this… what does an AI ChatBot have to say for itself?
If you’d like to read more: one of the panelists Bruna has co-authored an article with Sasha Luccioni and Margaret Mitchell, which covers many of the themes explored in the session. Speakers also referenced this talk by Mirca Madianou which explains the phenomenon of ‘technocolonialism’, and this article, which explores the paradox whereby efficiency gains associated with AI may spur increased consumption.
Upcoming events
LVF events
- LVF Stewardship Committee members took part in a podcast with LawTalks last year to discuss knowledge sessions, transferable skills and the importance of community in tackling the climate and biodiversity crises. We look forward to the episode being shared later this month!
- LVF is launching a webinar series on the energy transition. Join us for the first webinar in the series on Tuesday 11 March at 12-1pm GMT, led by Maxine and Victoria from the legal team at E.ON. We ran a LinkedIn poll to find out what interests you most about the energy transition, and the topic will be the challenge of transitioning away from fossil fuels. The registration link will be shared soon.
- LVF’s April knowledge session will be on the topic of oceans, climate change and international law. The session will be hosted by our Stewardship Committee member Verity Thompson! Details of the session will be announced shortly.
Details of our other knowledge sessions are below, and you can also always find more about our upcoming events on our website and Ticketsource page, and details of our past events on our website.
Other events
If you love learning about climate change, biodiversity and the law, here are some upcoming events that may be of interest:
- 18 February 2025: ‘The Law as lever for a net zero nature positive future’ with 39 Essex Chambers. Details and registration available here.
- 18 February 2025, 4:30-7pm: No.5 Chambers Colmore Row with UKELA – ‘Would a Combined Wildlife and Environment Court Benefit the UK’s Environment and Wildlife’. Details available here (there is a charge to join).
- 20 February 2025, 11:30-12:30: The Financial Times – How Will the World Tackle Climate Change. Details available here.
24 February 2025, 6-7.30pm: UKELA is hosting ‘Trends in climate litigation’ online and in London. Details available here (note there is a charge for joining).
Members survey – we still need your help!
LVF Members Survey 2025 is live, and we want to hear from our amazing members so you can help us to shape the future of LVF. If you haven’t already done so, we would be very grateful if you could spare c.10 minutes to complete the survey, so that LVF can continue to deliver great things and meet your expectations in 2025 and beyond. Your input is incredibly valuable to us, so we’d like to say a big thank you in advance for your feedback and time.
Volunteering initiatives
LVF volunteering opportunities
Would you be interested in joining a mailing list of LVF volunteers for future tasks such as article writing, and helping to organise events? Or do you have any particular skills you think would be beneficial for LVF on an ad hoc basis (e.g. social media marketing, photography)? Let us know here.
LVF student opportunities
Are you a student? Would you be interested in getting involved with increasing knowledge about LVF at your university? Please let us know by responding to this email, and letting us know which university you are at.
Volunteering initiatives
LVF is not promoting the following organisations, but these roles may be of interest to our members who want to share a little bit of extra love to the planet by volunteering their time for these UK-based initiatives that put the planet first:
- Climate Ed – a charity offering free education to children about climate science, carbon literacy and climate action
- The Woodland Trust – fighting to protect woods and trees, preventing the loss of irreplaceable habitat, nature and carbon stores for a healthier future for everyone
- Wildlife Trusts – grassroots movement protecting nature
- RSPB – national charity supporting birds and other wildlife
- Trees for Cities – working to improve lives by planting trees
- Tree Council – aims to empower organisations, government, communities and individuals with the knowledge and tools to create positive, lasting change at a national and local level
- Canal and River Trust* (*England and Wales only) – cares for a 2,000-mile network of canals and navigable rivers
- The Conservation Volunteers – working with local communities to improve green spaces
- Groundwork – supports local communities and businesses to build capacity and resilience
- Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust (WWT) – protecting wetlands and wildlife
- GoodGym Charity – they offer opportunities to combine physical exercise with volunteering, in particular assisting local community projects with physical tasks
Let us know if you get involved with any fun volunteering initiatives, share your experiences on our LinkedIn Community and encourage other members to share their time and love for the planet by volunteering.
Legal Voices for the Future 
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