Burges Salmon has joined a coalition of law firms to launch the Net Zero Lawyers Alliance (NZLA) to reinforce, accelerate and support the implementation of internationally coherent legal frameworks and guidelines for the transition to Net Zero by 2050.
The alliance, launched today as part of London Climate Action Week (LCAW), is an approved accelerator for the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Race to Zero with all member firms pledging to reduce their operational emissions by at least 50 per cent by 2030 from 2019 levels, using robust, science-based targets.
Burges Salmon joins the alliance as a founding member as part of a series of progressive actions the firm is taking in the pursuit of year-on-year energy reductions and efficiency gains, and the adoption of carbon-free energy sources, to support its public pledge to be Net Zero by 2026, announced in November last year.
Along with the coalition of inaugural members, the firm recognises that commercial law can act as connective tissue in transitioning energy, infrastructure and transport, industry and land use systems to align with, and accelerate the delivery of climate change mitigation, adaptation and resilience.
Net Zero Lawyers Alliance spokesperson Wendy Miles, QC of Twenty Essex, says: “We are delighted to announce the launch of the Net Zero Lawyers Alliance as an Accelerator to Race to Zero and flagship initiative of London Climate Action Week, and to welcome the inaugural member firms to the NZLA.”
Burges Salmon partner Michael Barlow, who heads the firm’s Energy and Utilities practice, adds: “We are proud to join the NZLA as a founding member. We have always been very committed to being a responsible business and that is about looking after our people, our clients, our community and in this context – most importantly – the environment.”