Conference Overview

This conference aims to explore how climate change is, or could be, systematically integrated into national and international legal frameworks. This includes an examination of the various dogmatic approaches taken by international courts and tribunals on states obligations in the context of climate change, as well as legislative initiatives. With a view to the sevenths assessment cycle of the IPCC, we want to understand how different disciplines and individual actors can continue to work closely together in addressing the scientific realities of our rapidly changing climate.

The Sixth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change states with high confidence that rapid, unprecedented, and far-reaching transitions across all sectors and systems are necessary to achieve deep and sustained emissions reductions and secure a liveable and sustainable future for all. Such action is more urgent as previously assessed. Unfortunately, as the outcome of the first global stocktake in 2023 markedly pointed out, Parties are not yet on track. towards achieving the goals of the Paris Agreement. In 2024, studies have shown that on average, the Earth was 1.6° C warmer than pre-industrial times, the first time ever that the threshold of 1.5° C was breached. COP 30 in 2025 will be a pivotal moment and a critical juncture for the climate movement as Parties submit new’ Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs 3.0) under the Paris Agreement – contributions that should demonstrate more ambition and progress compared to those previously submitted.

Since the conclusion of the first global stocktake, international courts and tribunals have raised their voices on climate change. The European Court of Human Rights and the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea confirmed that obligations of States exist outside the core climate change treaties. Submitting an NDC does not discharge fully the obligations that States have under these different international law instruments. The International Court of Justice (ICJ) is expected to deliver its advisory opinion on the obligations and responsibility of States with respect to climate change. During the written submission rounds and oral statements, among the many points raised, all States seem to converge at tackling the issue of whether the Court’s deliberation on the question should be restricted to only the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the Paris Agreement or if the Court should consider the whole corpus of international law to arrive at its opinion. Among many other contentious points, States expressed different views on whether the UNFCCC and the Paris Agreement are lex specialis, and whether the law of state responsibility under the ILC’s Draft Articles on the Responsibility of States for International Wrongful Acts (ARSIWA) to climate change can be applied. The international case law on climate change is supplemented by the decisions of national courts, that often reach significance and elicit changes beyond their domestic jurisdiction, sending signals about the possibility of integrating climate change considerations into law.

Themes and Topics

Submissions may address, but are not limited to, the following topics:

• Topic 1 | Climate Change Commitments under the Paris Agreement: legal nature of Nationally Determined Contributions, Global Stocktake outcomes and COP decisions under international law; legal mechanisms that facilitate implementation and enforcement; best practices in achieving inclusive and ambitious NDCs, translating Paris Agreement commitments into national policies and legislation.
• Topic 2 | Climate Change - Just Transition: scope, definition and operationalization of the concept of just transition (e.g., labour rights, human rights, and economic rights); analysis and case studies of just transition principles (eg the critical transition minerals supply chain, the sustainable fuel supply chain, green technology supply chain).
• Topic 3 | Intersections of Climate Change Law and Other Areas of Law: addressing climate change in other regimes—e.g., trade and investment, international human rights law, business and human rights, international peace and security, global health, biodiversity, oceans, international maritime decarbonisation, international aviation decarbonisation, sustainable finance, etc.
• Topic 4 | AI, Technology, Innovation and Climate Change: harnessing technological innovations to address climate resilience while addressing risks; governance frameworks and innovation, models for global cooperation (e.g., through global norms and standards-setting).
• Topic 5 | Legal Responsibility for Climate Change, Climate Litigation and Reparations: legal theories for state responsibility and liability; parameters of reparations in public international law; role of the courts (domestic, regional and international), comparative perspectives in climate litigation; novel or alternative climate dispute resolution mechanisms; recent developments in the understanding of attribution in climate change.
• Topic 6 | Trends in International Environmental Law and Governance: gaps, fragmentation and synergies in international environmental governance; governing climate change through international courts and tribunals; rethinking international environmental governance models; intersection with private environmental governance.

Fees

• In-person: S$150 per person (inclusive of lunch and tea breaks). Due to limited capacity, registration for in-person attendance is on a first-come, first-served basis.

• Online (Zoom Webinar): S$50 per person

*Registration fee for online attendance is waived for faculty members, and students of NUS and conference partner institutions: Centre for Sustainable Development Law and Sustainability, Durham University; Institute of International Legal Studies, University of the Philippines College of Law; Universiti Malaya Climate Change Network; and Centre for Environmental Law and Climate Justice, Universitas Indonesia Faculty of Law.

SILE CPD Accredited Activity

12.0 Public CPD Points (6 CPD Points Per Day)
Practice Area: International Law
Training Category: Intermediate

Participants who wish to obtain CPD Points are reminded that they must comply strictly with the Attendance Policy set out in the CPD Guidelines. For participants attending the face-to-face activity, this includes signing in on arrival and signing out at the conclusion of the activity in the manner required by the organiser, and not being absent from the entire activity for more than 15 minutes. For those participating via the webinar, this includes logging in at the start of the webinar and logging out at the conclusion of the webinar in the manner required by the organiser, and not being away from the entire activity for more than 15 minutes. Participants may obtain 6 Public CPD Points for each day of the event on which they comply strictly with the Attendance Policy. Participants who do not comply with the Attendance Policy will not be able to obtain CPD Points for attending the activity. Please refer to http://www.sileCPDcentre.sg for more information.

Contact Details:

For any questions about this conference, please contact Mr Conrado Maximanuel Cornelius at conrado@nus.edu.sg. We look forward to receiving your proposals.