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International Conference on Climate Justice

COP 21 : Challenges and perspectives

University of La Rochelle 2-3 October 2015

1.  Introduction

From 30 November to 11 December 2015 France will hold the presidency of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP21 / CMP11). This is a particularly important event that should lead to the adoption of a new international agreement which will apply in all countries and will provide for the maintenance  of global warming at under 2° C.

The Kyoto Protocol no longer  meets the challenge of continuing climate change.  Therefore, there is a need for a new ambitious agreement which will be binding, innovative and efficient, while taking account of the current global political, socio-economic and ecological equilibrium.

It is of critical importance to understand the respective capabilities of the countries affected by climate change and to find a dynamic way of implementing the founding principle of common responsibility, on a differentiated basis.

Currently, developed countries are responsible for less than half of the global emission levels of greenhouse gas.  Therefore, emerging countries play a key role in the formulation of global climate policies.  In a world with limited natural resources and limited production capabilities, ecological imbalance leads to environmental degradation and increases environmental risk.

There is a widespread demand, throughout the world, seeking to denounce the ecological debt created by countries whose economic activities leave an enduring ecological impact upon the environment.

New solutions and agreements are needed to define a new economic order based on responsible, ethical and equitable relationships. If agreement is not reached, the international community may face irreversible environmental decline. Climate change threatens not only development capacity but also the stability of international relations. Climate change gives rise to challenges to some of the most fundamental human rights, such as, access to water and food and the right to health.

Reducing climate change related risks requires a two-handed approach: on the one hand, reduction of human based greenhouse gas emissions and on the other hand adaptation to climate change.  This approach should form the basis of policies at international level and, if these policies are sufficiently coherent, they should equip the international community with the necessary tools to reduce emissions and adapt to the changes that lie ahead.

The European Union is willing to adopt a firm and ambitious common position.  However, this could be undermined by the current positions of individual member states, who may not agree on the measures and policies which must be adopted to achieve this.

The theme of climate justice is an important topic and discussions upon it will also involve discussion on impacts on the future of International and European Law, Environmental Law, Law and the economy, human rights, international security and biodiversity.  Therefore, climate justice is an issue which should be at the top of political agendas, however a long term vision is necessary and this requires the input of the academic community.

2.  Project structure and development

This conference will deal with several aspects of climate justice. It will be organized around 2 main themes linked to the potential action of the EU.

The conference will be organized as a two-day event and will be bilingual (French/ English).

Theme 1:  Climate Justice and the EU

-  EU positions and EU instruments (Climate Action plan, Energy and Climate Change package, Global Climate Change Alliance).

-  Climate change and development co-operation, EU’s external relations.

-  The role of the EU on environmental security.

-  The price of European ecological debt

-  Competition law and the objectives of the Climate Action Plan.

-  EU and Climate Diplomacy (Relations with China, Brazil, India, Indonesia … the choice of alliances).

Theme 2:  Climate justice within the EU

-  Mitigation and adaptation policies.

-  The negotiation (and the conflicts) process within the EU (is there political, institutional … or ecological solidarity?).

-  The future of EU policy towards Overseas Countries and Territories (OCT).

-  The reform of the emission trading regime and renewable energy policy.

Workshops: Cross cutting themes

Energy transition, sustainable agriculture versus intensive agriculture, transport, biodiversity, ecological debt, environmental security, climate migration, polluting industries and delocalization.

Other Themes: technology transfers, ecological transition, financing climate change adaptation, models of ecological solidarity, role of investment law and international trade law in respect of ecological decline.

Thematic workshops and roundtable discussions will be open to the public.

3.  Scientific objectives

-  Mobilise environmental lawyers in the 28 Member States on this issue, using the European Environmental Law Association (EELA – AEDE).

-  Make projections on international negotiation scenarios linked with the legal perspectives developed during former climate conferences.

-  Clarify the positions of the different Member States within the European Union and at the European Union level.

-  Analyse the position of the European Union in international negotiations on climate change.

-  Develop a view on climate change negotiations and their implications.

-  Structure the thinking of specialists in European environmental law on a future approach on climate justice.

-  Develop comparisons between Member States concerning the policies of ecological transition and the policies of change.

4.  Partners

-  European Environmental Law Association (AEDE – EELA)

-  International Centre of Comparative Environmental Law (CIDCE)

-  French Environmental Law Association (SFDE)

-  International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), Commission on Environmental Law

5.  Procedure and Criteria for the selection of contributions 

The call for proposals will be circulated by the networks of the Environmental Law Associations of the 28 Member States with priority to be given to members of AEDE / EELA. An academic Committee composed with experts from different European countries will examin the proposals.

The choice of written and oral contributions will be made on the basis of the academic quality of the proposals and in line with the structure of the event agreed by the academic committee.  The selection will endeavor to achieve a balanced representation of the nationalities of the 28 Member States. Account will be taken, as far as possible, of a balance between contributions in English and French. Contributions may be selected for publication and others for oral presentation and publication.

Depending on available finance and the partnerships developed by the host University, there may be input from those countries which have considerable weight in climate change negotiations  (China, Indonesia, Brazil, USA), as well as contributions from foreign specialists who may be selected to further explain the external relations of the European Union  and the challenges and implications of COP 21.

The proposals should be submitted in written form and no longer than 4,000 – 5,000 characters (including spaces).

6.  Timetable

- The call for proposals will close on  the 25^th of April 2015. The proposals should be sent by email to EELA-COP21@univ-lr.fr before this date.

-  Answers to proposals will be given by the 26^th of May 2015 by email.

7.  Publication

Publication of the papers from the Conference will be in English and French.  The format of written contributions will be approximately 60,000 characters (including spaces).  It is intended the publication will take place in the first semester of 2016.

8.  Contact

Université de La Rochelle

UFR Droit, Science politique et Gestion

45, Rue François de Vaux de Foletier
17024 La Rochelle Cedex 01 France

Tel : 00 (33) 5 46 45 83 89

EELA-COP21@univ-lr.fr