News & Events

Background

Every month, more court cases related to climate change are filed across the country and around the world. As the number of lawsuits related to climate change grows, CJP’s mission to equip judges with knowledge of the science and law of climate change has never been more important. In looking to 2023, we reflect with pride on progress made in 2022.

Co-authors J.B. Ruhl of Vanderbilt University Law School and Robin Kundis Craig of USC Gould School of Law discussed their article 4°C at the 2023 ELPAR Conference. The authors explore how scientific evidence indicates that the planet is well on its way to at least 4°C of warming—a scenario that presents categorically different adaptation challenges including large migrations within U.S. boundaries and suggest that a range of anticipatory governance practices to facilitate “redesign adaptation” should be initiated now, beginning with a new national foresight research program.

On Wednesday, March 29, 2023, the UN General Assembly adopted, by consensus, a resolution asking the International Court of Justice for an advisory opinion layout what countries’ obligations are to protect the climate in order to secure human rights. Sandra Nichols Thiam, a climate law specialist at the nonprofit Environmental Institute, discusses the significance of this UNGA action.