Climate Crimes and Human Rights: Examining the Efficacy of Human Rights, International Law and Criminal Law in the Fight for Climate Justice
| Dates: | 24 March 2025 |
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| Times: | 16:00 - 17:30 |
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| What is it: | Lecture |
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| Organiser: | Global Development Institute |
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| Who is it for: | University staff, External researchers, Adults, Alumni, Current University students, General public |
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Seminar hosted by the Climate and Justice Study Group
Speaker: Paul Clark, Barrister, Garden Court Chambers
Given the role that the law and the courts play in contemporary governance both domestically and internationally, it is unsurprising that litigation is viewed by many as a key weapon in the fight against climate change. The invocation of human rights and of the criminal law are central features of attempts to make use of the courts as vehicles of climate justice in recent times.
This seminar aims to examine critically the effectiveness of current and recent examples of the turn to rights, and the turn to crime, in the context of climate change as a “super wicked problem”, a label which encapsulates four features of the climate crisis: time is running out; those who cause the problem also seek to provide a solution; the central authority needed to address it is weak or non-existent; and, partly as a result, policy responses discount the future irrationally. Levin et al argued that these four features combine to create a policy-making “tragedy” where traditional analytical techniques are ill-equipped to identify solutions, even when it is well recognised that actions must take place soon to avoid catastrophic future impacts. What can international law, human rights, and the criminal law offer in the face of this unfolding tragedy?
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G33
Humanities Bridgeford Street
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