Conversations on Europe: Legal Battles Against Ecocide: Civil Society Climate Initiatives

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Join in a conversation on criminalization of climate activists and their day in court with legal scholar Veronica Federico, Attorney Gaëlle Cognet, and one of the successful Swiss Climate Activists, Elsbeth Stern. 9 April 2024 the European Court of Human Rights decided in favor of the “Climate Grannies” that the Swiss Government had failed to meet its climate responsibilities and, therefore, violated their human rights. The case set global legal precedent. It will have impact for years to come. In a world where 80% of the people want more action from their governments on climate change, the case’s success highlights too how the courts increasingly play a central role in the sustainability movement.

Moderator: Randall Halle, University of Pittsburgh

Panelists:

  • Gaëlle Cognet, Counsel in Ashurst Paris' projects and energy transition, Ashurst LLP
  • Veronica Federico, Associate Professor of Comparative Public Law, University of Florence
  • Elisabeth Stern, retired ethnologist, Board Member, Klima Seniorinnen


Gaëlle Cognet is a counsel in Ashurst Paris' projects and energy transition She has been recruited with a view to support the public law practice and expand the firm’s activities in environmental law. A former in-house counsel for an independent solar producer and subsequently partner in one of France’s leading law firms in public law, Gaëlle has extensive experience in the energy sector and related public law regulations. She has also developed a pioneer expertise on the legal consequences of climate change (flooding, coastline retreat) on coastal territories. Gaëlle assists public institutions, companies, investors, and project developers in France (metropolitan and overseas territories) and Francophone Africa on all public law matters relating to their activities (administrative law, public contracts, public domain, urban planning law, territorial government authorities law,..) with acute attention to the increasing environmental and ESG requirements they must comply with.

Elisabeth Stern is a retired ethnologist who studied psychology in Zurich and completed an MA and PhD in Cultural Anthropology at the University of California. She worked at the Pestalozzi Foundation Children’s Village for intercultural education. She taught ethnology at the University of Zurich, worked as a research associate at the University of Zimbabwe in Harare, and was a Senior Lecturer for intercultural management competence at the University of St. Gallen. She was the co-director of an environmental company for the financing of environmental projects. She is currently a member of the board of KlimaSeniorinnen.

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Hosted by European Studies Center, a Jean Monnet European Union Center of Excellence at the University of Pittsburgh

Co-sponsors and participating centers: The Miami-Florida Jean Monnet Center of Excellence at Florida International University, the Center for European Studies at the University of Florida, the Center for European and Transatlantic Studies at Georgia Tech, and the European Union Center at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.

Co-funded by the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union