Tessa Khan
British environmental lawyer
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Tessa Khan (born January 1983)[1] is an environmental lawyer who lives in the United Kingdom.
University of Oxford (BCL)
Co-founder of Climate Litigation Network
Tessa Khan | |
|---|---|
| Education | University of Western Australia (LLB, BA) University of Oxford (BCL) |
| Occupations | Lawyer, campaigner |
| Known for | Founder of Uplift Co-founder of Climate Litigation Network |
| Awards | Climate Breakthrough Award (2018) |
| Website | upliftuk |
She founded and is the executive director of Uplift, a research and advocacy organisation that works towards a just transition from oil and gas production in the UK.
She co-founded and was co-director of the Climate Litigation Network, which supports legal cases related to climate change mitigation and climate justice – and has argued that national governments have knowingly profited from raising carbon dioxide levels and caused environmental damage – including as part of Climate Case Ireland.
Early life and education
Khan grew up in Perth, Australia where her family settled after emigrating from Bangladesh.[2][3]
She has spoken of the influence of her Bangladeshi heritage on her commitment to climate justice, noting Bangladesh's status as one of the countries most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change.[3]
Khan holds a bachelor of laws and a bachelor of arts from the University of Western Australia – and a (master's level) bachelor of civil law with distinction from the University of Oxford,[4] where she published articles through the Oxford Human Rights Hub.[5]
Career history
Early career
Khan has been involved in human rights law and advocacy campaigning. In Thailand, she coordinated the international advocacy programme of the Asia Pacific Forum on Women, Law and Development in Chiang Mai.[6] Whilst there in 2015, she learnt of a court ruling at The Hague ordering the Netherlands to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions.[7] Inspired by the case, Khan moved to London to join the Urgenda Foundation's legal team in 2016.[8]
Climate Litigation Network
Khan co-founded the Climate Litigation Network with the Urgenda Foundation to support climate change cases around the world, acting as the network's co-director. Through the organisation, she successfully helped activist groups sue their national governments, supporting cases in Canada, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Pakistan and South Korea.[9] She worked on cases in The Netherlands and Ireland that successfully challenged the adequacy of government plans to reduce emissions.[10]
Urgenda Foundation v State of the Netherlands
In December 2019, in Urgenda Foundation v State of the Netherlands case, the Supreme Court of the Netherlands ordered the Dutch government to scale back the capacity of coal-fired power stations and oversee around €3 billion in investment for cutting carbon emissions. The victory was described by The Guardian as "the most successful climate lawsuit to date" at the time.[11]
Friends of the Irish Environment v Ireland
In August 2020, in what is known as the Climate Case Ireland, the Supreme Court of Ireland ruled that the Irish government must make a new, more ambitious plan to cut carbon.[12] Ireland ranks third in greenhouse gas emissions per capita among European Union member states.[9]
Uplift
Khan is the founder and executive director of Uplift,[2] an organisation she founded in 2020 that works towards a just transition away from oil and gas production, coordinates the Stop Rosebank campaign against the Rosebank oil field,[13] and acts as secretariat of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Climate Change (Climate APPG).[14][15]
Writing in The Guardian in July 2024, Khan argued that wealthy nations' governments that position themselves as "climate leaders" – namely the USA, Canada, Australia, Norway and Britain – are as culpable for climate damage as the petrostates by refusing to end oil and gas production.[16]
Uplift and Greenpeace UK v Secretary of State and North Sea Transition Authority
In 2025, Uplift and Greenpeace UK challenged the UK government's approval of the Rosebank and Jackdaw oil and gas developments in the Court of Session.[17][18] The court ruled that the original consents were unlawful.[19]
Other roles
Khan has acted as an expert adviser to United Nations human rights bodies and national governments[20] and has spoken at the United Nations[21] and events convened by The Financial Times, The Economist, The Guardian, LSE and UK Environmental Law Association.[22][23][24]
She has also given two TED talks on climate change and fossil fuels[25][26] – and served as a trustee of Global Greengrants Fund UK and on the steering committee of the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty Initiative.[27] Khan has also spoken at the Greenbelt Festival[28] and at a National Emergency Briefing at Westminster Central Hall.[29]
Recognition
Khan received the Climate Breakthrough Award in 2018[4] and joined the board of directors of Climate Breakthrough in 2023.[4] In 2019, Time magazine included Khan in a list of women leading the fight against climate change[7] and The ENDS Report named her in its Power List each year between 2022–26.[30]