Call for Abstracts for Online Workshop: The Climate Crisis: Legal Safeguards for Justice and Security


Jul 23, 2020

Society must recognize that climate change, as well as the current pandemic and ongoing racial injustices, are sustainability and security crises. The three dimensions of environmental, social and economic welfare are not only key pillars of sustainable development, but also essential factors for security. We see significant law and policy challenges in accounting for large scale disruptions due to climate change and environmental degradation including mass migration, food insecurity, natural disasters, inequality, access to clean water, and the breakdown of civil society.


More specifically, how does law – legal structures, frameworks, institutions and safeguards – matter for climate justice and security? How can significant global security risks be accounted for and peace promoted or ensured? What is the role of environmental law, broadly defined (food, energy, land use, natural resources law)? Given the similar potentially destabilizing effects of the climate crisis (e.g., protests and social unrest, disparate racial and economic impacts), what can we learn about the effectiveness of various legal tools from the responses to COVID-19 and protests against police brutality?

This Workshop attempts to highlight cutting-edge, transformational, interdisciplinary and thought-provoking research offering insight into the role of national and international public law, litigation, and private governance in promoting social-ecological resilience, sustainable development and justice, as well as the relationship of law to effective civil disobedience and activism—all in an effort to increase global peace and security in relation to the climate crisis.

Topics for papers and presentations may include, but are not limited to, how legal tools intersect with:
 climate migration and climate refugees
 food justice and food security
 economic and social impacts/inequalities/disparities of the climate and COVID-19
crises on vulnerable communities
 defining resilience and justice in times of the climate crisis
 the links between institutional racism and climate change/public health
 the role of a green restart/green new deal
 loss of local culture and traditions due to climate change
 public health and emotional well-being in the climate crisis
 gender-based violence and the environment/climate crisis

This event is organized as part of the Department of Law at Stockholm University hosting the Olof Palme Professorship, which is “awarded to an internationally prominent researcher focused on topics important to the pursuit of peace in a broad context within the areas of social sciences, humanities, theology and science of law.” This year, the focus of the professorship is to broaden our understanding of global peace, security and welfare to include ecological resilience and climate justice in the Anthropocene.
Interested in submitting an abstract?

If you are interested in presenting your work, please submit an Abstract no longer than 300 words to: smc@juridicum.su.se. Abstract Submission Deadline: September 15, 2020. Six abstracts will be selected by a faculty panel for presentation. Preference will be given to junior (untenured) scholars. Presenters will have the opportunity to publish their papers arising from this workshop in the Pace Environmental Law Review. Workshop paper drafts from selected presenters will be due prior to the workshop on November 15, 2020. If you have any questions, please contact Professor Jason Czarnezki at: jczarnezki@law.pace.edu.

ABSTRACT SUBMISSION DEADLINE: 15 SEPTEMBER 2020 WORKSHOP: 2-3 DECEMBER 2020
Time: 11am-2pm EST (New York) / 5pm-8pm CET (Stockholm) / 9.30pm-00.30am IND (New Delhi) / 12am-3am HKT (Hong Kong)
Format: via Zoom, 2 days, 3 hours each day (10 minutes presentations followed by 50 minutes of discussion for each paper)
Special Note: We encourage submission from junior (untenured) scholars.

Hosted by Stockholm Environmental Law and Policy Centre, at Stockholm University; Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University; and Pace Environmental Law Review

Moderators Jason Czarnezki, Olof Palme Visiting Professor, Stockholm University, and Kerlin Distinguished Professor of Law, Pace University, New York; Jonas Ebbesson, Professor of Environmental Law, Stockholm University