ICL and Environmental Protection Symposium: Establishing Facts for Strategic Climate Litigation through Private-Public Partnerships

Jun 2, 2020 | Reinhold Gallmetzer
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Climate change is the defining issue of this generation, and the present moment is that issue’s defining moment. The potential and actual consequences of climate change are felt by every country around the world. Even as seen through the narrow lens of international criminal and humanitarian law, climate change threatens to destabilize already vulnerable communities and increases the risk of violent armed conflict. According to a study published by Nature in 2019, climate has influenced between 3% and 20% of armed conflicts over the last century and intensifying climate change is estimated to increase future risks of conflict. With these considerations in mind, a discussion regarding the prevention and prosecution of atrocity crimes can no longer be seriously had without understanding and combating the impact of climate polluters. As recently recognized by the International Bar Association’s 5 May 2020 Climate Crisis Statement, “[t]he legal profession must be prepared to play a leading role in maintaining and strengthening the rule of law and supporting responsible, enlightened governance in an era marked by a climate crisis.”