Despite existing environmental laws, communities across the United States are still exposed to dangerous impacts of climate change. One emerging legal mechanism to address these issues are Green Amendments: self-executing provisions added to the bill of rights section of a state constitution. These amendments recognize and protect the rights of all people, including future generations, to pure water, clean air, a stable climate, and a healthy environment.  Currently, 13 states have put forth Green Amendment proposals, including Hawaii, Kentucky, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Vermont, Washington, and West Virginia.

What are the practical opportunities and challenges states are likely to face in advancing, implementing and enforcing these amendments? Join us to explore the potential for Green Amendments to secure the constitutional recognition and protection of the right to a healthy environment and true Environmental Justice for all.

Panelists:

• Samuel L. Brown, Partner, Hunton Andrews Kurth LLP, Moderator
• Kim Gaddy, Environmental Justice Organizer, Clean Water Action, and Founder, South Ward Environmental Alliance
• Artemisio Romero y Carver, Board Director, Youth United for Climate Crisis Action
• Senator Antoinette Sedillo Lopez, New Mexico State Senate and former Professor, University of New Mexico School of Law
• Terry A. Sloan, Director, Southwest Native Cultures, and Intergovernmental Tribal Liaison, City of Albuquerque
• Maya K. van Rossum, Founder, National Green Amendment Movement, and Founder, Green Amendments for the Generations

Please register for the ELC's introduction to the topic via e-mail to: environmental-law-center(a)uni-koeln.de

Please register for the ELI's webinar here: https://www.eli.org/events/green-amendments-vehicles-environmental-justice

On June 2, 2021, the Environmental Law Institute Washington (ELI) hosted a webinar on the case Juliana v. U.S. Interestingly, the actual lawyers of the case presented their respective side: Julia Olson for Our Children’s Trust and Jeffrey H. Wood for the government. Moreover, law professor Lisa Heinzerling from the Georgetown University intervened. In the discussion organized by the ELC, Professor Junker pointed out that the parties referred to comparative law to make their arguments and that the U.S. had considerably more climate litigation cases than the rest of the world which is linked to its legal culture. Eventually, the participants agreed that the case, although dismissed, could positively influence future climate litigation in the U.S.

Link zum Zoom Meeting

Am 30. Juli 2020 fand eine Veranstaltung des Environmental Law Centers der Universität zu Köln zur Schnittstelle von Umwelt- und Weltraumrecht statt. Nach einer kurzen Begrüßung durch Prof. Dr. Kirk W. Junker, führte Prof. Dr. Stephan Hobe die Teilnehmenden in die Materie des Weltraumrechts ein. Anschließend nahmen die Studierenden an einem Webinar zu diesem Thema mit verschiedenen Expert*innen des Environmental Law Institute mit Sitz in Washington, DC teil und konnten anschließend ihre Fragen an die Professoren richten.