Vermont leaders and national environmental advocates will come together to discuss what the recent United Nations conference on climate change means for Vermonters during "Climate Talk VT: Global Ambition, Local Action," an Earth Day celebration at 2:30 p.m. Friday, April 22, in Chase Community Center on the VLS campus. The event is open to the public and press.
"Our goal is to provoke conversations that matter by bringing together bright minds to reflect on the UN climate talks and share action-focused ideas about Vermont's role in combating climate change," said Rachel Stevens, a staff attorney and LLM fellow at the Environmental and Natural Resources Law Clinic (ENRLC) at VLS. The ENRLC is curating the event with the Vermont Chapter of the Sierra Club.
Among the leaders and environmental advocates slated to attend Climate Talk VT are national Sierra Club President Aaron Mair and Vermont Gov. Peter Shumlin. Many participants, including a VLS student delegation, also attended the UN climate change talks—Conference of the Parties (COP) 21—in Paris last December.
"VLS's engagement at COP21 embodies our motto, law for the community and the world," said Professor Tracy Bach, who heads the VLS delegation. "The students on our delegation learned by doing: They reported about the Paris Agreement negotiations via our blog, supported a least developed country delegation via our service learning partnership, and now bring back their international experiences to share with the Vermont community."
"I was so proud to represent Vermont at the United Nations climate change conference in Paris where an unprecedented 196 nations came to an agreement to limit global carbon emissions," Shumlin said. "States and regions are the first defense against climate change, and Vermont is implementing the policies that will make a difference in this fight."
By design, Climate Talk VT will be an informal conversation about the Paris Agreement among notable climate champions, focusing on the steps we can take to turn these global ambitions into action here in Vermont. The public will have the opportunity to submit questions to guide this important discussion.
"The Vermont Chapter of the Sierra Club is pleased to sponsor this important Earth Day event with Vermont Law School," said Mark Nelson, chair of the Vermont Chapter of the Sierra Club. "This is an opportunity for Vermonters to learn more about the UN climate talks and hear discussions about what actions can be taken in Vermont to help the U.S. meet its ambitious pledges."
Climate Talk VT coincides with an Earth Day Paris Agreement signing ceremony with world leaders at the UN headquarters in New York City. For more information about Climate Talk VT: Global Ambition, Local Action, visit the Sierra Club registration page, email rstevens@vermontlaw.edu, or call 802-831-1073.
In addition to Climate Talk VT, Vermont Law School will host an Earth Day ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate its recently completed 500-kilowatt solar photovoltaic project. The ribbon-cutting will be held at 1 p.m. at the project site on Gee Hill Road in South Royalton. For more information about VLS events open to the public, visit vermontlaw.edu/news-and-events.
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Vermont Law School, a private, independent institution, is home to the nation's largest and deepest environmental law program. VLS offers a Juris Doctor curriculum that emphasizes public service; three Master's Degrees—Master of Environmental Law and Policy, Master of Energy Regulation and Law, and Master of Food and Agriculture Law and Policy; and four post-JD degrees —LLM in American Legal Studies (for foreign-trained lawyers), LLM in Energy Law, LLM in Environmental Law, and LLM in Food and Agriculture Law. The school features innovative experiential programs and is home to the Environmental Law Center, South Royalton Legal Clinic, Environmental and Natural Resources Law Clinic, Energy Clinic, Food and Agriculture Clinic, and Center for Applied Human Rights. For more information, visit vermontlaw.edu, find us on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter.