Matrix Podcasts

In this episode, Kate Cook is joined by two guest experts both directly involved in securing greater protection of the marine environment from the impacts of climate change, Gareth Cunningham, the Director for Conservation Policy at the Marine Conservation Society and Dr. Sian Prior, Director of Shipping Policy for the Brussels-based organisation Seas at Risk. Together they discuss ocean acidifica...

Jamas Hodivala KC discusses with Sam McCahon, Joint Head of Disputes Team at ORBC, the UK National Contact Point's re-branding, historic concerns about its independence, its new links with UK Export Finance, and its increasingly significant role in handling complaints about compliance with the OECD Guidelines."

In the latest episode of ESG: Global, Florence Iveson speaks with Alexander Wijeratna of Mighty Earth. Together, they discuss the organisation’s groundbreaking legal strategies aimed at confronting the environmental and human rights impacts of industrial agriculture. They discuss whistleblower complaints over JBS’s sustainability linked bonds, legal challenges to its stock exchange listing, and ne...

Samantha Knights KC talks to Mutuso Dhliwayo, Executive Director of the Zimbabwe Environmental Law Organisation and Octavio Ferraz, Professor of Law and Co-Director of the Transnational Law Institute at King’s College London about the social, economic and environmental impacts of lithium mining in Zimbabwe and bauxite mining in the Amazon as paradigm examples of the consequences of mining for rare...

In the latest episode of the ESG Global podcast, Jim Robottom speaks with James Bolton Jones from Spotlight on Corruption about the corruption risks emerging in the global transition to net zero. They explore the role of UK anti corruption law, critical mineral supply chains, climate finance transparency, and Spotlight’s forthcoming manifesto on ensuring integrity in the climate transition.

As pressure builds on companies to conduct increased forced labour due diligence on their supply chains, Jamas Hodivala KC explores some of the practical issues that can arise with Kate Larsen, Director at SupplyESChange.

In this episode of A Common Concern, we discuss the meaning, scope and application of the human right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment. This right has been recognised by the UN General Assembly and endorsed by the International Court of Justice and the Inter-American Court of Human Rights. Kate Cook is joined by environmental and human rights expert and former Head of Legal at Frien...

In this episode, Suzanne Rab explores how ESG considerations are reshaping regulation across UK network and utility sectors. As ESG rises in prominence in energy, water, transport, telecoms and financial services, regulators face an increasingly complex balancing act: ensuring resilience and fairness while maintaining affordability and driving long-term sustainability. The discussion highlights ho...

In this episode, Jamas Hodivala KC discusses with Nick Dale (former Superintendent at West Midlands Police and now Director of Intelligence at Stop the Traffik) and Sian Lea (Head of UK and European Advocacy at Anti-Slavery International) the role of Governments, companies and NGOs when conducting forced labour due diligence in supply chains.

In this second episode of Season 2 of the ESG: Global podcast, Jamas Hodivala KC celebrates the 10th anniversary of Mark Carney’s “Tragedy of the Horizon” speech with his guest Dr Ben Caldecott, a sustainable finance expert. They discuss the origins of the speech, the adequacy of leadership regarding climate-related investment, the supervisory role of the Bank of England in climate-related finance...

In this episode of A Common Concern, Kate Cook talks to Greg Muttitt, Honorary Research Fellow at UCL and Senior Associate at the International Institute for Sustainable Development. Pushing back on current 'necessitarian' arguments against the phase out of fossil fuels, they explore what transition would look like. What are the comparative costs of transition versus retaining fossil fuels and wha...

In this first episode of Season 2 of the ESG: Global podcast, Jamas Hodivala KC looks back a the 10 year anniversary of Mark Carney’s "Tragedy of the Horizon" speech, which considered the links between climate change and financial stability. His guest, Professor Iain Clacher, is a pensions expert and they discuss the effects of the speech on the pensions sector, including exploring the role that l...

In this episode of A Common Concern, Kate Cook speaks to Dr Patrick Toussaint of African Futures Lab about the international legal response to climate related loss and damage. Kate and Patrick discuss the climate regime's Loss and Damage Fund and Warsaw International Mechanism, climate reparations and their connection to racial and postcolonial justice and the implications of the ICJ's Advisory Op...

In this episode Florence Iveson discusses the implications of the International Court of Justice's much anticipated Advisory Opinion on Climate Change with Kate Cook and Toby Fisher. Their wide-ranging discussion looks at issues including the role of the temperature goal in the climate regime, the limited discretion in relation to NDCs and what we now know about state responsibility, and what stil...

In this episode, Emma Foubister discusses the right to peaceful protest in the context of climate change and climate protests with Carol Day and Anirudh Mathur.

In Part 2 of "Smoke and Mirrors: Geoengineering and International Law", Kate Cook and Mary Church of CIEL look more closely at the legal implications of these technologies including current international restrictions on their deployment, adopted under a number of different treaty regimes, as well as the implications of human rights law and the climate regime.

Advocates of geoengineering claim that these technologies provide a potential solution to climate change, but many question their feasibility and harmful impacts and see them simply as a means to prolong the life of the fossil fuel industry. This two part episode looks at the evidence and the law in relation to geoengineering. In the first part of this episode, Kate Cook and Mary Church of CIEL di...

Climate related displacement is already occurring and likely to increase significantly in the next few decades. In this episode of A Common Concern: the Climate Justice Podcast, Kate Cook is joined by Alex Randall, founder of the Climate and Migration Coalition and by Raza Husain KC and Sam Knights KC from Matrix to discuss current legal protections under international refugee, climate and human r...

In episode 4of A Common Concern: The Climate Justice Podcast, Emma Foubister discusses the role of criminal law in the context of climate impacts on human health and life with Florence Iveson and Professor Cindy Cho.

In this episode of A Common Concern: The Climate Justice Podcast, Kate Cook discusses workers’ rights and climate change with Kalina Arabadjieva of the European Trade Union Institute. From the principles and standards of the International Labour Organisation to the provisions of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change, from the rules of the EU Green Deal to the three pillars of the Aarhus Convention...

In this episode, Florence Iveson discusses the Omnibus Proposal issued by the European Commission on 26 February 2025 with business and human rights experts Olivia Windham Stewart and Daniel Schonfelder. The episode provides first takes on 5 of the major changes to the CSDDD that have been proposed by the Commission and on the next stages to any amendment process.

In this week's episode Helen Mountfield KC discusses recent legal developments in the US and the UK with Professor Jonathan Marks and David Wolfe KC. Discussion ranges from US cases on the right to a clean and healthy environment, to the legal implications of a new Executive Order on Unleashing American Energy. Across the Atlantic, we hear about recent judicial reviews scrutinising delivery of car...

In A Common Concern, the Climate Justice Podcast we will be looking at the ways in which the law can, or might, address the urgent threat posed by climate change. We will look at the protection of the rights of those most impacted, including displaced people, workers and those most vulnerable due to current levels of poverty. We will also consider legal developments in other jurisdictions around t...

In this episode, Jamas Hodivala KC discusses with Giles Crown, Partner at Taylor Wessing, greenwashing in marketing claims and current consumer protection legislation applying to such claims. They examine the recent Advertising Standards Authority's decision in Virgin Atlantic Ltd. and discuss key takeaways for businesses looking to advertise their green credentials, before looking at impending ch...

In this episode, Jamas Hodivala KC discusses with Laura Middleton the results of PWC’s first survey into where businesses see their ESG fraud and misconduct risks, and where this overlaps with its annual Economic Crime Survey. They also consider PWC’s ESG Fraud taxonomy and whether the survey results evidence that companies are currently identifying the relevant risks.