We have covered climate change litigation here before, in particular the case of a Peruvian farmer against German utility company RWE currently pending before the Court of Appeals (Oberlandesgericht) Hamm. So I thought I ought to alert readers to food for thought on the topic that is on offer:
The Max Planck Institute for Comparative and Private International Law in Hamburg has invited Eva-Maria Kieninger to deliver a lecture on the topic, as part of the Institute’s series “Current Research in Private International Law”. Here’s from the organisers:
“With Climate Change Litigation, affected parties and NGOs attempt to force major CO2 emitters (e.g. energy suppliers, oil industry) to refrain from emitting CO2 and to pay damages. Crucial for their success are substantive law issues such as attribution, causation and the regulatory effects of operating permits. However, since climate change, its causes and consequences are global phenomena, questions of international jurisdiction and applicable law must be answered first. In the end, these questions determine the level of proof and the requirements to be met in order to show causation. They are therefore of eminent importance for the success of Climate Change Litigation.”
Professor Kieninger holds the Chair for German, European and International Private Law at Würzburg University.
The photo shows the Institute’s bricks, but to attend you will only need clicks – the lecture will be at 11:00 am and is delivered via Zoom. See here for details. It will be in German.