Activists, lawyers and legal scholars will explore the interconnectedness between the environment and human rights at the 15th annual Vermont Law Review Symposium, "Habitat for Human Rights: Environmental Degradation and Human Rights," Friday, Sept. 25, in Chase Community Center at Vermont Law School. Opening remarks will start at 9 a.m.
The daylong symposium, co-sponsored by the Center for Applied Human Rights at VLS, will examine the existing legal framework regarding human rights and the environment, address environmental issues that impact human rights, and assess opportunities for advocates to serve as agents of change.
"We hope community members will join us for what is sure to be a lively discussion of critical issues that lie at the intersection of human rights and the environment," said Ivy Garlow '16, Vermont Law Review symposium editor. "More than 40 years after the Stockholm Declaration of the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment recognized the connection between human rights and the environment, scholars and practitioners are still debating the state of law on related issues. We will continue the discussion at VLS and identify opportunities where we can bring about positive change."
Following opening remarks, Dr. Marcos Orellana, director of the Human Rights and the Environment Program at the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL), will deliver a keynote speech. Orellana, who has been at the forefront of global activity using a human rights-based approach to addressing environmental harm, will bring his experience at the United Nations and in the field to his observations and insights on this cutting edge area of the law.
The keynote address will be followed by a panel on "Climate Change and Human Rights," featuring Alyssa Johl, senior attorney at CIEL, and VLS Professor Tracy Bach. They will discuss the human rights impacts of climate change, and explore how human rights law and environmental law intersect in addressing climate change.
Panel 2, titled "Environmental Issues of Human Concern: Assessing Environmental Degradation and Human Rights Abuse," will explore major environmental issues that affect human rights on a domestic and international scale and whether these issues rise to the level of human rights violations. Panelists include Randall Abate, professor and project director of the Environment, Development and Justice Program at Florida A&M University College of Law; Judith Kimerling, professor of Environmental Law and Policy in the Political Science Department and Environmental Studies Program at The City University of New York, Queens College; Adebola Ogunba, Fulbright Scholar, law lecturer at Covenant University, Ota, Nigeria, and a doctoral student at the University of Ibadan, Nigeria; and Mark Squillace, professor and director of the University of Colorado's Natural Resources Law Center.
Panel 3, "A Voice for the Voiceless: Assessing Advocacy in Human Rights and Environmental Law," will discuss the critical role advocates play in this emerging field and address how they use or are hindered by the law, or lack thereof, when working to protect the environment and human rights. This will include challenges faced by environmental human rights defenders. Panelists are Leonardo Crippa, senior attorney at the Indian Law Resource Center; VLS Professor Stephanie Farrior, director of the Center for Applied Human Rights; Sean Powers of Earth Rights International; and VLS Visiting Assistant Professor Jessica Scott.
The Vermont Law Review Symposium is open to the public and press. For more information about the symposium, including registration and Continuing Legal Education (CLE) credit, visit eventbrite.com or the symposium Facebook page, or email Ivy Garlow at ivygarlow@vermontlaw.edu or Alex Jury at alexanderjury@vermontlaw.edu. Registration closes at end of day Monday, Sept. 21.
Vermont Law Review is a journal of legal scholarship published by Vermont Law School students in consultation with VLS faculty and administration. Vermont Law Review's main objectives are to present readers with timely, topical information concerning the legal profession and legal scholarship, and to afford Vermont Law Review members an educational experience which shall hone their skills in research, writing, legal analysis, and leadership. For more information about Vermont Law Review, visit lawreview.vermontlaw.edu.
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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 Center for Applied Human Rights, Environmental Law Center, South Royalton Legal Clinic, Environmental and Natural Resources Law Clinic, Energy Clinic, and Food and Agriculture Clinic. For more information, visit www.vermontlaw.edu, find us on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter.