Focus

Kanika focuses on ClientEarth’s work on energy systems and biodiversity across Asia and has been based in the London office since November 2022. She works with civil society, regulators, and private-sector stakeholders to accelerate the transition to a net-zero economy. Her role spans shaping climate and energy policy, advancing biodiversity preservation and community-led protection, building collaborative strategies for carbon reduction, and strengthening institutional capacity on climate and environmental law across the region.

Experience

Kanika previously practised with the Legal Initiative for Forests and Environment (LIFE) in India, where she litigated landmark cases to safeguard public lands, challenge fossil-fuel approvals, and reduce industrial pollution. She also trained enforcement and judicial officials on forest and environmental law. Earlier, she clerked for Justice Rohinton F. Nariman at the Supreme Court of India, conducting legal research and supporting judgment drafting.

Education

Kanika holds a Master’s degree in Environmental Law & Policy from Stanford Law School, where she was awarded the John Hart Ely Prize for her thesis and was a Fellow of the Stanford Woods Institute. She earned her law degree from the National Law University, Jodhpur, and is qualified to practice law in India.

Climate change poses significant challenges for vulnerable populations in Asia, intensifying poverty and inequality, while the region also stands out as a biodiversity hotspot and a focal point for the energy transition. At ClientEarth, I am privileged to contribute to work that recognises this complexity and, through collaboration and science- and economics-based tools, supports the transition to a net-zero economy while helping to reduce climate impacts on communities and ecosystems across the region.