Andrew Gilder is a Director of Climate Legal, with more than twenty years’ legal practice experience specialising in climate change (mitigation and adaptation), climate finance and development, carbon markets, carbon tax, public law, environmental and energy law, policy and governance. Andrew is admitted as an attorney of the High Court of South Africa and has practical experience which expands over a range of African jurisdictions and including advice to public and private sectors on the development and implementation of climate change, climate finance, carbon markets, carbon tax, municipal, environmental and energy law, policy and governance as well as regulatory and transactional advice to industries, foreign embassies and municipalities on the implementation of renewable energy infrastructure development projects. He has advised project developers as part of South Africa’s Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Programme (REIPPP) regarding carbon offsets and environmental regulatory compliance, and he has contributed to the transactional and environmental due diligence aspects of three projects awarded successful bidder status under the REIPPP.

His practical experience includes advising government, businesses and industries on climate change policy development and its implications, including climate change business risks and opportunities, assessing commercial relationships against evolving climate change policy and regulation and relevant contractual considerations, as well as advising on, negotiating and drafting of commercial contracts required to secure financial and logistical positions in the carbon market. He has extensively advised Municipalities (including eThekwini and the City of Cape Town) on national energy law, as well as public sector law (including administrative and constitutional law), as well as relevant local bylaws, in the context of legal advice and support for the development of Municipal renewable energy projects.

Originally trained as an environmental lawyer, Andrew has considerable expertise in all areas of environmental legal practice and his practical experience extends to advising on authorisations required for the implementation of greenhouse gas mitigation projects and providing process advice for obtaining and managing the set of authorisations required for operational projects, including numerous waste to energy projects.  He is also responsible for drafting the South African Climate Change Bill, 2018, for the Department of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries, together with related legal instruments; and was extensively involved in South Africa’s adaptation legal and policy alignment process. Andrew has been recognised as a leading lawyer by PLC Which Lawyer? 2012 – Environment (South Africa) and by Best Lawyers 2018 and 2020 – Environment; and was shortlisted for an African Legal Award, in 2015. Andrew is the co-editor and co-author of South Africa’s first comprehensive treatise on climate change law and governance, entitled Climate Change Law and Governance in South Africa (Juta, 2016).