Brandon Abdinor became aware of the dependency of the world civilization on fossil fuels at a young age and is now a passionate climate advocacy lawyer. Thobeka Gumede initially chose environmental law out of curiosity, as it was the least chosen topic in law school. It opened her eyes to environmental abuses, including in her own community. “I always knew I wanted to help people, but I was never aware of human rights violations connected to the environment.” Ms Gumede and Mr Abdinor’s pathways crossed at the Centre for Environmental Rights (CER) in Cape Town. At CER, lawyers work in close relationship with local communities and civil society organisations in South Africa to realise the constitutional right to a healthy environment by advocating and litigating for environmental justice. In their work as environmental lawyers, Mr Abdinor and Ms Gumede often encounter sophisticated challenges.
Brandon Abdinor became aware of the dependency of the world civilization on fossil fuels at a young age and is now a passionate climate advocacy lawyer. Thobeka Gumede initially chose environmental law out of curiosity, as it was the least chosen topic in law school. It opened her eyes to environmental abuses, including in her own community. “I always knew I wanted to help people, but I was never aware of human rights violations connected to the environment.” Ms Gumede and Mr Abdinor’s pathways crossed at the Centre for Environmental Rights (CER) in Cape Town. At CER, lawyers work in close relationship with local communities and civil society organisations in South Africa to realise the constitutional right to a healthy environment by advocating and litigating for environmental justice. In their work as environmental lawyers, Mr Abdinor and Ms Gumede often encounter sophisticated challenges.