Greenheart Institute was founded out of a shared commitment to use the power of law to protect the environment and safeguard communities. Recognising the urgent need to address oil and gas pollution, we set out to raise awareness, support affected communities, and provide legal tools to hold polluters accountable.
Through advocacy, legal action, and grassroots empowerment, we aim to build a future where environmental justice is a fundamental right.
I was pleased to have the opportunity, with the support of the Greenheart Institute, to visit Guyana in February 2025 and share my reflections with the legal community on the importance of a robust judiciary in ensuring that governments and corporations face up to the reality of climate change and work together to develop effective solutions. This is critically important work.
Lord Carnwath retired as a Justice in March 2020 after a distinguished judicial career that spanned over several decades, culminating in eight years as a member of the UK Supreme Court and the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council. Throughout his tenure, he delivered many leading judgments, particularly in areas related to planning and the environment, property, rating, local government, and administrative law.
Governments and national agencies have a legal responsibility to ensure that environmental protections and regulations are enforced in a consistent and effective manner. Courts around the world have used judicial reviews to challenge governments where they have failed to fulfil this responsibility. I am very happy to be advising the Greenheart Institute on the effective application of this approach to support its work.
Monica Carss-Frisk is a barrister specializing in public law, including regulatory matters, commercial judicial reviews, immigration, human rights, EU law, competition, telecommunications, and employment law, with a particular focus on discrimination cases. Her extensive legal expertise enables her to navigate complex legal frameworks effectively.
As the events of the Deepwater Horizon disaster in 2010 and the ongoing Taylor Energy spill illustrate, oil and gas exploration and production operations are hugely risky and dangerous activities. When things go wrong, the results can be catastrophic economically and environmentally. Economies and whole eco-systems can be destroyed beyond repair. Governments should not permit oil/gas companies to operate unless they have effective risk mitigation plans and the resources to implement them. The industry's own standards need to be applied and adhered to, such as those set out by the American Petroleum Institute (API). The Greenheart Institute has an important role to play in highlighting the risks of oil/gas operations to the local and global environments. This includes the contingency measures that the extractive companies must comply with, in accordance with their own standards, as well as those of governments and international law.
Russell Combe is a retired British Army officer and a seasoned security and risk management consultant with extensive experience in the field. He currently works as a freelance consultant for Babcock International Group and QinetiQ defence companies. He has held numerous security advisory roles, initially in the oil and gas sector in East Africa, during the Ebola humanitarian crisis in West Africa, and as the UK government's contracted adviser to the President of Guyana. In this capacity he travelled extensively throughout the country and directly advised the President and the Government on security sector reform. He has also provided consultancy services for the Inter-American Development Bank and the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office on security issues in Guyana.
Living in California, I have experienced first hand the terrible destruction caused by storms, wildfires, droughts and other extreme weather events. The impact of global warming caused by fossil fuel pollution is here and now. The young people of the world are calling for action to stop this madness. I am delighted to be able to offer my support to the Greenheart Institute in this critical fight for the future of the planet.
Princess Ariana Austin Makonnen of Ethiopia (née Ariana Joy Lalita Austin) is an American writer, arts manager, and philanthropist. She is the founder of the evening arts festival "Art All Night" and the creative agency "French Thomas." In 2018, she and her husband launched Old World/New World Productions, a media company dedicated to producing content that highlights the African diaspora and celebrates its cultural heritage.