Author: Sarah Finch

I am deeply honoured to have received the 2026 Goldman Environmental Prize for Europe, alongside five incredible women activists from around the world.

My prize recognises the landmark victory in the legal case I brought on behalf of the Weald Action Group against an oil development in Surrey. Our win has changed the whole approach to assessing the climate impacts of new developments – from oil wells to airports to factory farms. It has been recognised as one of the most significant legal breakthroughs in the fight against the climate crisis.

It feels uncomfortable to be celebrated as an individual for what was always a collective effort. So many amazing people contributed to our win. So I accept the award on behalf of the Weald Action Group and communities everywhere who are fighting to keep fossil fuels in the ground.

This evening, I will formally receive the Prize at the San Francisco Opera House, in front of more than 3,000 people, including many environmental champions. The Goldman Prize team have arranged a week-long programme of activities, including meetings and cultural events. The whole experience has been incredible and a lot to process, I will write more about it another time.

This means a huge amount to me. I am determined to live up to it!

Like almost everyone else, I have been feeling appalled, angry and helpless about the horrific news from Gaza. My brother Ed isn’t feeling helpless though. He is swimming in 26 ‘wild’ places this summer, one for each letter of the alphabet, to raise money for Medical Aid for Palestinians.

Supporting Ed and helping elicit donations felt like one way I could help people in truly hellish circumstances. So on Friday I joined him as he ticked off five more letters on his alphabet challenge.

Continue reading “Swimming For Palestine”

One of many great things about living in Exeter is being able to go to lectures at the University’s Global Systems Institute.

Exeter University is a world-leading centre in climate change research, with more IPCC authors than any other city in the world. Its Global Systems Institute brings these academics together with policy-makers, NGOs, citizens and others to tackle shared problems. They host regular lectures with interesting speakers – and local residents are welcome to attend. I’ve been to several very informative and truly thought-provoking talks (including one by Andreas Malm and Wim Carton on the crazy concept of ‘climate overshoot’, which I wrote about here).

This week it was the turn of distinguished scientist Michael Mann. Dr Mann is Professor of Earth and Environmental Science at the University of Pennsylvania (and has several other appointments), a leading IPCC author, winner of many awards and plaudits, and one of the creators of the hockey stick graph.

Continue reading “Lessons from the past: a talk by Michael Mann”

This painting, titled The Wave, is by Stephen Tromans, eminent environmental lawyer and artist, whose paintings appear in The Law of Net Zero and Nature Positive which I reviewed here.

Stephen gave me The Wave “to mark my contribution to the development of good environmental law”. What an honour. I am grateful and delighted to have it. It has been on my kitchen wall exuding a maritime aura for a week and still each time I catch sight of it I imagine I smell ozone and hear gulls crying.

Stephen described the painting as “a reminder of the eternal power of the sea which we ignore at our peril”. But this week we were reminded that the sea and its inhabitants face more peril from us than we do from them. Monday brought the dreadful news that an oil tanker and a cargo ship had collided in the North Sea close to Hull. One person is missing, presumed dead. But details about the further impacts of this disaster have been slow to emerge.

Continue reading “The Wave”

I was pleased to be asked to review The Law of Net Zero and Nature Positive, a new book by barristers at 39 Essex Chambers. I was flattered – but mainly I hoped it would give my knowledge of these important topics a boost.

Climate litigation is a huge growth area. In the UK and other countries, campaigners are turning to the law out of frustration at the lack of political progress and the failure to enforce laws intended to protect the environment. Nearly three decades of negotiations under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change have not managed to halt the emission of greenhouse gases. As a result we are shooting through the 1.5 degree warming limit.

Meanwhile, UK rivers, which in theory have good legal protection, are full of sewage and pollution from farms, road run-off and more.

Continue reading “The Law of Net Zero and Nature Positive”

It’s not the first time. I wonder if this one will last past February.

2024 was clearly a year when terrible things happened to so many people around the world. So it feels a tad insensitive to celebrate it. But good things happened too. My personal highlight was winning my case against oil production in the Supreme Court, the culmination of a five-year legal fight with the Weald Action Group against a planning decision made by Surrey County Council in 2019 – and at least five years opposing oil production in the Weald before that.

Continue reading “New year’s resolution: start a blog.”