The Cornerstone Climate Guide: Key Concepts and Definitions
In 2024, the UK Supreme Court in the Finch case observed that: “Promoting education of the public in environmental matters does not guarantee that greater priority will be given to protecting the environment. But the assumption is that it is likely to have that result, or at least that it is a prerequisite. You can only care about what you know about.”
Nowhere is that more true than in relation to climate change. Or global warming. Or the climate crisis. Or net zero. This is an area where complex scientific and legal terminology abounds. It can be
daunting. And it can be a block to understanding, caring about and acting to address one of the most important issues facing us today.
The Cornerstone Climate Guide aims to address this by unlocking climate terminology. Some of the main terms are hyperlinked where they are used in other definitions. There are also some hyperlinks to resources on the internet.
The Guide is not aimed at lawyers, but it will hopefully be a crucial tool for those in the legal profession. It includes key UK legislation and policy. All areas of legal practice are being impacted by climate change and the risks and opportunities it presents. From pensions to competition to public law to arbitration to immigration to construction to international law, lawyers have an ethical obligation to provide holistic advice encompassing all climate-related risks. This Guide forms part of a series of resources made available by Cornerstone Climate to support climate upskilling and lay the foundations for confident climate conscious lawyering.
Facing the details of the climate crisis and the existential threat it poses can be anxiety-inducing. But, armed with the knowledge in this Guide and the resources to which it refers, we take solace from the observations of the author Katherine Rundell: “It is never too late to turn a living thing around. Our hope must be active. And if we want to see something better than where we are now, we will be the ones to make that happen.”
Access the guide
Watch the launch event
On 22nd April 2026, to mark the launch of the Cornerstone Climate Guide, we were delighted to host a conversation between Kirsty Brimelow KC, Chair of the Bar Council, and Estelle Dehon KC, founder of Cornerstone Climate, about the profession’s role in responding to the climate challenge.
