MoFo’s Pro Bono Efforts to Combat Climate Change

Morrison Foerster lawyers don't just worry about climate change - they take action by providing pro bono legal services to address the issue. In fact, since 2018, our firm has contributed more than $25 million in pro bono legal services to organizations that are addressing climate change, conservation, sustainability, and other environmental issues. In honor of Climate Week, we are shining a spotlight on some of the pro bono matters our dedicated lawyers have undertaken to assist clients who are combatting the challenges posed by climate change.

MoFo lawyers are utilizing their specialized knowledge of corporate structures, finance, and tax to enable GRID Alternatives ("GRID") to aggregate and deploy capital for solar projects. GRID is the nation's largest nonprofit installer of clean energy technologies. GRID's solar installations are primarily focused on low- and moderate-income communities, but its work goes far beyond increasing access to low-cost solar power. GRID also provides solar installation job training programs and helps graduates connect with employers in the industry. It works with tribal communities in the U.S. to build economic opportunities and reach clean energy goals, and its international program has given communities in Nicaragua, Nepal, and Mexico access to solar power. GRID is developing a platform to allow charitable foundations to more easily provide program-related investments to commercial-scale solar projects that serve low- to moderate-income communities. MoFo advised on and helped form GRID's Energy Resilience Fund, a mission-driven investment and loan fund that works with philanthropic investors, developers, intermediaries, and community organizations to pool resources, scale impact, and return local sovereignty to communities on the frontlines of climate change.

MoFo lawyers also lend their expertise to early-stage social enterprises that are focused on addressing climate change. The global steel sector contributes an estimated 8% of carbon dioxide emissions annually, and our pro bono client Hertha Metals is tackling this problem head-on by developing new technology to produce iron and steel with a significant reduction in CO2 emissions. Hertha Metals is supported by the Breakthrough Energy Fellows program, which selects and supports teams around the globe whose technological innovations have the potential to drastically cut production of greenhouse gases. MoFo's patent lawyers are advising Hertha on its intellectual property strategy and filing the patents that are necessary to advance its work.

While most approaches to mitigating climate change focus on reducing production of the greenhouse gases that trap heat and result in global warming, our pro bono client MEER-Mirrors for Earth's Energy Rebalancing-is pioneering a complementary approach that goes straight to the source, using mirrors and other reflective materials to deflect sunlight and reduce its warming effect on the planet. MEER recently partnered with the Chief Heat Officer of Freetown, Sierra Leone, along with recent graduates from a local university to implement this strategy in Kroo Bay, an impoverished neighborhood with tightly packed housing. It achieved indoor temperature reductions of 5-7°C (9-13°F). A just-released documentary highlights the impact on one family's quality of life. MoFo lawyers are currently helping this visionary organization with various corporate matters in Japan.

Public awareness is crucial to increasing public demand for effective policies that address global warming. MoFo lawyers are providing pro bono counsel to the Be Cool Campaign of the Climate Music Project, which connects people to climate science and action through the emotional power of music. Recalling mass musical projects of the past, the campaign is centered around a climate-themed song titled I Wanna Be Cool. It invites youth choirs and young singers to submit recordings of the song, which will be combined in a master recording and video that will also feature professional artists. MoFo lawyers are preparing consent and release forms for contributors so the Be Cool Campaign has the necessary rights and permissions with respect to these recordings. This effort aims to create a powerful resource to raise awareness and mobilize support for climate action.

Learn more about MoFo's pro bono efforts.