Episode 6 - Climate Change Litigation and the Role of the Academic
Is international law capable of tackling planetary issues such as climate change…and how important is the role of the academic in modern times?
December 2020 was the 5-year anniversary of the Paris Agreement (COP 21), which brought about a consensus on limiting global warming to well below 2°C. Whilst this was a significant milestone, more work is still required. United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres for example called on governments to declare a "state of climate emergency" when speaking at the opening of the virtual summit to mark the five year anniversary.
In this episode, we talk to Professor Gleider Hernandez about the role international law is playing in addressing climate change and we also discuss the utility academics provide to society.
Professor Gleider Hernández is a Professor of Public International Law at the Catholic University of Leuven and the Open University of the Netherlands. Previously, he was Reader in Public International Law at Durham Law School and Deputy Director of the Durham Global Policy Institute. Prior to his academic career, Gleider served as law clerk at the International Court of Justice in the Hague, and was called to the Barreau du Québec and practised as a barrister at Fasken Martineau LLP. Gleider is an expert in international legal theory and international adjudication.
Reading List:
G. Hernandez, ‘E Pluribus Unum? A Divisible College?: Reflections on the International Legal Profession’, (2018) Vol. 29 European Journal of International Law, 1003-1022.
G. Hernandez, ‘The Activist Academic in International Legal Scholarship’: https://esil-sedi.eu/post_name-145/.
G. Hernandez, ‘Inculcating International Law: the Textbook as a Gateway’, (2018), Vol 12 No. 3 ESIL Conference Papers.
G. Hernandez, ‘The Responsibility of the International Legal Academic Situating the Grammarian Within the “Invisible College”’, in J. D’Aspremont, T. Gazzini, A. Nollkaemper & W. Werner (eds.), Part II - The Practice of International Law and Its Theories, (2017), 160-188.
