Call it a renaissance of the Roman gods. Mercury’s retrograde is (finally!) over, and Justitia, goddess of justice, has a new weapon in her arsenal: the emerging field of climate law, which offers new opportunities to combat climate change through legislation. The enormous potential of climate law became clear at IKEM’s Annual Conference 2021, where speakers examined the evolution of the field as well as its three constituent parts: climate change law, climate change adaptation law, and climate change impact law. The field’s broad scope delivers the kind of holistic response necessary to combat the climate crisis, while making it possible to analyse the effects of different laws in a systematic way. At the conference, experts in economics, the social sciences, and law presented their perspectives on the topic and clarified the boundaries of the new field, distinguishing it from related disciplines. The gathering also offered an opportunity to celebrate other milestones: IKEM’s director, Professor Michael Rodi, was one of this year’s recipients of the Greifswald Research Award, and a book edited by Rodi, Handbuch Klimaschutzrecht, will appear on bookstore shelves in December 2021. This newsletter takes a closer look at the annual conference. It also features an interview with Professor Rodi, who talked to us about the creation of IKEM, his inspiration for the new book, and his greatest contribution to climate change mitigation. Until next time, The IKEM Communications Team |
