UK company directors may be liable for climate impacts, say lawyers

A Norfolk property collapsing in 2018 because of coastal erosion. Banks that hold mortgages in homes at risk could lose a key asset. Photograph: geogphotos/Alamy

Company directors in the UK could be held personally liable for failing to properly account for nature and climate-related risks, according to a group of lawyers.

A legal opinion published this week found that board directors had duties to consider how their business affected and depended on nature. These included climate-related risks as well as wider risks to biodiversity, soils and water.