The Press and Journal (Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire)
First Climate Clinic launched
Scotland’s first student-led Climate Clinic has been launched in Aberdeen to support grassroots campaigners and individuals with environmental issues.
The Climate Clinic is based at the Robert Gordon University’s Garthdee Campus and is run in association with the Environmental Law Foundation.
It is the first dedicated student-led clinic of its kind in Scotland helping people navigate planning and development matters, as well as understand environment and animal law.
Students are also being given the opportunity to not only learn how to help people with climate and environmental issues but to research current legislation and scrutinise it.
The new initiative follows the successful launch of the Grampian Community Law Centre last year, which is embedded in the Torry Medical Practice.
Although it is already in operation and assisting with ongoing cases across the region, an event to celebrate the launch was held at the university this week to coincide with World Environmental Education Day.
Campaigners and law students gathered to listen to speakers involved in driving the project and watch videos showing how the clinic can be a resource for people hoping to make a difference.
Hannah Moneagle, director of the Grampian Community Law Centre, is a practicing solicitor, passionate environmentalist, and mastermind behind the Climate Clinic.
She hopes the clinic will equip students with the skills and knowledge to “stand up and do something” about the climate breakdown and biodiversity crisis we are facing.
The solicitor and lecturer believes there is an access-to-justice gap in terms of planning, development, environmental and animal law issues for people at the grassroots level and community groups.
The clinic will enable people to realise “they can have a voice”.
Miss Moneagle said: “It’s something I feel really passionately about, and if I can pass on some of that passion to the students at the centre then we are creating a future generation of compassionate solicitors who care about the environment and the future of the planet.”
Students are being given the chance to work on projects with the UK Centre for Animal Law looking at pigeon welfare and deer culling across Scotland.
The Law Clinic has already been involved with Friends of St Fittick’s Park who want to save the green space from being developed into a new Energy Transition Zone.