Legal and planning

From sewage to diesel fumes, different types of pollution are destroying our lands and seas. Campaigner Rachel O'Connell explains why a new environmental law could help us stop big polluters from harming people and planet.

People power played a vital role in securing climate change legislation for Northern Ireland. Watch our film about the race to get a Climate Act.

In February 2024, Friends of the Earth took government to court a second time over its decarbonisation plan. Read the witness statements and internal government documents related to the court case.

Lawyer Acland Bryant explains our legal intervention against mineral prospecting on the grounds of environmental damage and transparency.

As an environmental justice organisation, Friends of the Earth is fighting to protect our right to protest, along with all human rights. Find out how the UK government is threatening our rights and freedoms.

The High Court in Belfast has confirmed that the voices of children and young people will be heard as part of a milestone environmental case on air quality in Northern Ireland.

House of Lords vote on secondary legislation to change the definition of "serious disruption to the life of the community" on 13 June 2023. Read the Joint letter from 49 organisations.

Read the joint letter urging Peers to protect the right to protest by supporting amendments that reduce or remove the impact of the Public Order Bill.

In July 2022 Friends of the Earth secured a court victory against the UK government over its economy-wide climate strategy. But what happens in a climate court case? Lawyer Will Rundle gives us a sneak peek behind the scenes.

In 2008 our campaign for the creation of the UK's Climate Change Act succeeded. Over a decade on, we explore how this Act has enabled us to carry out ground-breaking legal work that’s shaping the future of our planet.