CCEEL Webinar Series on Litigation Trends in the Climate Emergency
You can view the recording of the event here
In recent years, litigants around the world have increasingly tried to ‘push the boundaries of the law’, by filing strategic cases to prompt state and corporate actors to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, or to obtain redress for climate harms. The swelling body of pro climate litigation counts hundreds of lawsuits raising questions of law or fact regarding climate science, climate change mitigation or adaptation, which have been brought before international or domestic judicial, quasi-judicial and other investigatory bodies. This practice has been amply documented in the literature and has been increasingly showcased in global litigation databases, such as those curated by the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment and the Sabin Centre for Climate Change Law at Colombia Law School
At the same time, as measures to address the climate emergency are adopted and implemented all over the world, groups negatively affected by transition laws and policies — e.g. restricting land uses or authorising the development of dams and windfarms — are also increasingly resorting to litigation. In this connection, the idea of a ‘just transition’ away from fossil fuels suggests that the benefits of decarbonisation should be shared, and that those who stand to lose should be supported. In a recent piece, Savaresi and Setzer define ‘just transition litigation’ as lawsuits that question the distribution of the benefits and burdens of the transition away from fossil fuels and towards net zero emissions. They furthermore note that, while we know that this litigation is happening, at present there are no comprehensive data collections of these cases. There is in other words a clear gap in our knowledge and understanding of this relatively new, but increasingly important phenomenon.
In this three-part webinar series, selected contributors to a new special issue of the Journal of Human Rights and the Environment, titled ‘Climate Change Litigation and Human Rights: Stocktaking and a Look at the Future’, will share their thoughts on these recent trends in litigation in the climate emergency.
Webinar 1: Global trends in climate litigation and the coming of just transition litigation
Time and place: 30 March at 2-3 pm CET on Zoom (3 PM Finnish time)
Speaker: Joana Setzer, Assistant Professorial Research Fellow, Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment, London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE).
Joana will present the findings of the article she co-authored with Annalisa Savaresi, titled: ‘Rights-based litigation in the climate emergency: mapping the landscape and new knowledge frontiers’
Discussant: Annalisa Savaresi (UEF)
The event will be recorded and shared via CCEEL’s social media channels after the event.
Webinar 2: ‘Urgenda’ style cases and strategic climate litigation
Time and place: 6 April at 2-3 pm CET on Zoom (3 PM Finnish time)
Speakers: Lucy Maxwell, Sara Mead and Dennis van Berkel (Urgenda Foundation)
Lucy, Sara and Dennis will present the findings of their co-authored article titled: ‘Standards for adjudicating the next generation of Urgenda-style climate cases’
Discussant: Annalisa Savaresi (UEF)
Webinar 3: Youth-led climate litigation
Time and place: 27 April at 2-3 pm CET on Zoom (3 PM Finnish time)
Speaker: Margaretha Wewerinke-Singh (Leiden University)
Margaretha will present the article she co-authored with Larissa Parker, Juliette Mestre and Sebastien Jodoin (McGill University): ‘When the Kids Put Climate Change on Trial: Assessing the Disruptive Nature of Youth-Focused Climate Litigation’
Discussant: Annalisa Savaresi (UEF)
Programme
All three webinars will consist of a presentation of the key ideas expounded in each article, followed by reactions from a discussant and a moderated debate with the audience.
The seminar series is organised by Kaisa Huhta and Annalisa Savaresi. For any inquiries, please contact kaisa.huhta@uef.fi.
Registration
The Seminar Series is free of charge and open to all. All registered participants will be sent the Zoom link on the day of the event. Kindly register by 29th March at: https://link.webropolsurveys.com/S/0ECC6BEFC405EB19