First Postgraduate Colloquium on Frontiers of International Environmental Law

Frontiers in international environmental law are key in guiding how States implement their transformation in response to climate change. This area addresses directly the call for research on adaption in the form of expanding climate rights and legal responsibilities. The recent adoption of a new set of global environmental agreements formally recognizes the legal status of a new set of principles, including the principle of intergenerational equity and the principle of due diligence. This has first and foremost been achieved through the adoption of the Paris Agreement, but is also present in International Civil Aviation Organization regulation, and recognized in the ongoing negotiations for the Convention of the Marine Environment beyond the area of national jurisdictions. It is therefore a good moment to evaluate whether emerging principles could expand the limits of the States'responsibility for environmental protection. Key to answering this question is to look at cases ruled on by well-established International Courts. As such the colloquium will help to put forward a set of new and innovative proposals for those policy makers involved in the international negotiations of climate agreements. Indeed equity issues and due diligence obligations are the key topic in climate negotiations. This scope explains why the colloquium topic reminds the idea of frontiers in terms of new progress to be achieved. In regards to the compatibility of the activity with KLIMAFORSK, the Colloquium will strength the role of Norway as leading country in the climate research by contributing to the establishments of a new generation of environmental lawyers specialized in international law and environmental protection. In order to promote a widely international and representative participation, financial support would be provided for two junior scholars coming from developing countries.