The Fordham International Law Journal's symposium titled "On Thin Ice: Climate Change Action From an International Human Rights Perspective" brought together scholars and legal practitioners from around the world to explore how climate change is impacting human rights and how mitigation and adaptation efforts should respond. This is an extremely timely topic as the international community attempts to complete a new international agreement to address anthropogenic climate change by the end of 2015.
Assistant Professor Cameron Jefferies of the Faculty of Law was invited to participate in a panel speaking to litigation strategies applicable to climate change adaptation and mitigation. While litigation against the State and/or against large corporate greenhouse gas emitters is most prolific in the United States, this approach is gaining considerable traction in other areas of the world as the search for effective ways to combat this unprecedented global problem at a national and sub-national level continues. Professor Jefferies' presentation explored the possibility that the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms as Canada's main rights bearing constitutional document may be able to help safeguard those who are most directly impacted by the consequences of climate change.