Story | 17 Nov, 2017

Meeting of the WCEL Specialists Group on Climate Change

On 12 November, lawyers, students, policymakers, conservationists and private sector representatives from around the world gathered in Bonn to discuss the future of the planet. Led by the IUCN Environmental Law Programme, in collaboration with UN Agencies, State Party Delegations, NGOs and other partners, they met within the framework of the UNFCCC COP23 to discuss how to use legal tools to address the challenges of climate change.

Christina Voigt

Photo: IUCN

Photo: IUCN

One of the highlights was the session on the Specialist Group on Climate Change from the World Commission on Environmental Law. This session, which was facilitated by Dr. Christina Voigt, Chair of the Specialist Group, discussed how WCEL can play a key role in the development and implementation of a framework for mitigating and adapting to climate change at the national and international levels in the coming years.

The discussion highlighted the need to involve business, partners, NGOs, academia and other key actors to jointly speak in the same language that lawyers speak. Tribunals do not necessarily have a clear understanding of climate change issues or the means to address them.

LINKS:

IUCN, Keeping It Legal at the UNFCCC COP 23