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On the 6 April 2019, the Environmental Law Center of University of Cologne (Germany) will host the workshop “ Globalization of Environmental Law and the Role of Emerging Economies“. The workshop is jointly organized by the University of Cologne (Germany), gLAWcal – Global Law Initiatives for Sustainable Development (United Kingdom), the European Society of International Law (ESIL) Interest Group on International Environmental Law and the American Society of International Law (ASIL) Interest Group on Intellectual Property Law.
Globalization has lifted millions of people out of poverty over the past decades. At the same time, the processes that accompany globalization have had a tremendous impact on the environment. Commodification of the environment along with environmental degradation have led to an almost universal awareness of the negative effects of a changing climate.
Developing countries and emerging economies are no longer passive actors in the environmental global discourse, but are proactively and assertively shaping, advancing and furthering the globalization of environmental law. Their rationales for doing so, however, widely differ from developed countries: in these countries, environmental degradation is a new form of ’poverty’ that curtail and undermines the right to development and, in extreme cases, the right to life.
Biodiversity protection, conservation and environmental restoration are essential for ecosystem services that support human life, including its economic components. The developmental component (green-growth policies) may be preferred by globalizing forces, which also regard it as most suitable to cope with climate change. One example of that perspective is that of “clean industry.” According to one study, the 2018 Climatescope Emerging Market Outlook (Bloomberg NEF, 2018), emerging economies are guiding the transition to a low-carbon future. Investments, trade and technology advances are the key driving forces of this transition.
Globalizing environmental law means creating international standards for all societies. It is not so clear who will benefit from these standards. Globalization without local concerns can endanger relevant issues such as good governance, human rights, right to water, right to food, social, economic, cultural and environmental rights, as well as climate change, energy, environmental protection and sustainable development. On the other hand, globalization can be said to lead to the removal of barriers to the deployment and development of the clean industry and integrating developing countries and emerging economies’ priorities in global environmental law. Two elements are diminishing the global nature of environmental law. First, North-South technology transfers and trade in green goods are slowing down and, second, developed countries are increasingly using protectionist measures to protect national industries.
Similarly,green-growth policies of emerging economies mostly focused on nominal GDP growth are pushing aside the interests and needs of local and underrepresented and underserved communities, as well as of the ecological component of environmental protection.
The Globalization of Environmental Law strives for the integration of the ecological and the developmental component of environmental protection by analyzing the contribution of emerging and developing economies.
The workshop will address the contributions, the problems, the international and comparative law issues, the policies framework, and the barriers and constraints caused by the globalization of environmental law. Topics include investments in the clean industry, trade in green goods and agricultural products,intellectual property rights, traditional knowledge, technology transfer,emerging technologies such as big data, climate change, energy security, food security, conservation of biodiversity, environmental restoration, development aid and trade facilitation. Special attention will be paid to the following topics:
The workshop will take place at the premises of the University of Cologne (Germany), on 6 April 2019.
Applications should be submitted via e-mail by March 15, 2019 to all of these three e-mail addresses:
Please include the following information:
Co-authored papers are also welcomed.
The workshop will be divided into sessions, each chaired by the discussant with participation of three to four speakers.
All Members of the ESIL Interest Group on International Environmental Law and of the ASIL Interest Group on Intellectual Property Law, the members of other ESIL IGs and ASIL IGs and also the non-ESIL and non-ASIL members (ESIL or ASIL membership will be required if the abstract is selected) are invited to submit abstracts.
The organizers have publication plans for the presented papers. The precise format of publication will be discussed during the workshop. The Organizers envisage to publish a Book collection (Edited by Kirk W. Junker and Paolo Davide Farah) in the Routledge Publishing (New-York/London) multidisciplinary gLAWcal book series on “Transnational Law and Governance” or in HEE - Journal - The Journal of Health, Environment, & Education : An International Online Journal or other equally relevant SSCI or US Law journals.
Paolo Davide Farah (West Virginia University, USA and gLAWcal - Global Law Initiatives for Sustainable Development,UK & ESIL Board Member and Convener of the ESIL IG on International Environmental Law)
Kirk W. Junker (Chair, US Law; Director of International Master of Environmental Sciences Programme, University of Cologne, Germany)
The workshop is jointly organized by the Environmental Law Center of University of Cologne (Germany), gLAWcal – Global Law Initiatives for Sustainable Development (United Kingdom), the European Society of International Law (ESIL) Interest Group on International Environmental Law and the American Society of International Law (ASIL) Interest Group on Intellectual Property Law.
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