| Webinar Topic |
Climate Litigation Around the World (Second Session)
|
| Date and Time | 2 August, 2023 (Wed) 10:30-12:00 JST / 1:30-3:00 UTC |
| Webinar system | Zoom Webinar |
| Background | Climate change-related lawsuits have been filed in many parts of the world in recent years, and a new report summarizing global trends has found that an increasing number of climate lawsuits are being filed by citizens and environmental groups against governments and corporations for the right to stop climate change and live in a healthy environment.
In this context, three years ago 16 youth in the US state of Montana stood up and initiated a climate lawsuit in which they claimed that the state's pro-fossil fuel policies were furthering the climate crisis and endangering their lives. After overcoming many difficulties, the trial (arguments and questioning) was finally held this year from June 12 to 20. This was the first trial in the history of the US to question whether human rights are being violated by climate change using the human rights provisions in state constitutions as a basis. In this webinar, with attorneys who have worked on the lawsuit and NGOs that supported the litigation, we will report on what the youth are seeking through this lawsuit, the process leading up to its filing, the Montana state constitution and climate policy issues, and the results of the trial. (Simultaneous English-Japanese translation will be available). The US judiciary has been put into a major predicament after a substantial change in the composition of the Supreme Court during the Trump administration, but these youths’ fight to protect their future has acted as a beacon of hope. Montana is a state that produces fossil fuels - especially coal - and learning about the Montana climate lawsuit may provide insight into how to change Japan's coal policy. We hope you will join us. |
| Program (tentative) | The Launch of Youth Led, Right-Based Climate LitigationKelly Matheson - Attorney Slide Using Litigation and the Constitution to Address the Climate CrisisPhil Gregory - Attorney Slide Development and significance of this historical trialDavid Shwartz - Attorney Kobe Climate Case: Challenges and future prospectsShunsuke Sugita - Attorney Slide Slide(translation in English) Coordinator: Mie Asaoka - Attorney, President of Kiko Network Slide *Simultaneous English-Japanese translation will be available |
| Participation Fee | Free |
| Register | Online registration prior to the webinar is required. |
| Hosted by | Kiko Network |
| Contact | Kiko Network Kyoto Office E-mail: kyoto@kikonet.org |
| Note | This webinar is being held with a grant from the Environmental Restoration and Conservation Agency’s 2023 Fiscal Year Japan Fund for Global Environment. |
