We are delighted to share the open-source post-conference report from the first UK conference on International Protection in the Context of the Climate Crisis, hosted by DLA Piper, Earth Refuge, and Refugee Legal Support in October 2025.
This report brings together the crucial learnings, reflections, and calls to action from the day. It is designed both as a refresher for those who joined us in person and as an accessible resource for those who were unable to attend.
The conference created a much-needed space for legal practitioners, academics, policymakers, organisers, and people with lived experience to engage with the urgent and evolving intersection of cross-border displacement, climate change and disasters, and international protection frameworks. The sense of momentum in the room was unmistakable, reflecting a growing readiness within UK legal practice and civil society to take climate mobility seriously and to work collaboratively across disciplines.
A central message captured throughout the report is that lawyers cannot work in isolation in such a politicised and rapidly developing field. Progress depends on collaboration with scientists, researchers, community advocates, artists, and communicators, and on ensuring that lived experience guides all work in this space.
The report also highlights why this moment matters. Climate-related displacement is already reshaping protection needs, with recent international jurisprudence and emerging national legislation signalling a period of rapid legal development and a need for creativity that reaches beyond traditional actors.
The conference closed with two clear calls to action:
🌍 Practitioners are encouraged to contribute relevant decisions to the Climate Mobility Case Database
🌍 A group of UK lawyers will begin work on adapting international climate mobility tools for domestic proceedings
We are grateful to everyone who contributed to making this long-anticipated event possible. We hope this freely available report helps sustain the collective readiness and momentum that defined the day and supports continued engagement with this critical area of work.