Growing numbers of climate lawsuits have been filed worldwide in recent years, many of which seek to compel states and, more recently, corporates to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. These legal claims are of growing financial risk for targeted firms and grounded in scientific developments that clarify the emissions reductions needed to meet climate goals. However, pathways consistent with the Paris long-term temperature goal span a wide range of emission reductions in coming years: the IPCC indicates 34-60% cuts in greenhouse gas emissions in 2030 relative to 2019. This range is a major source of legal and policy uncertainty. A key determinant of the rate at which emissions must be reduced this decade is the extent to which CO2 removal (CDR) is relied on to withdraw emissions from the atmosphere. Further complexity exists when dividing global pathways between states or sectors.

This lecture will explore how States’ dependence on carbon dioxide removal jeopardise the goals of the Paris Agreement and their legal enforcement. I will also present new research that clarifies States’ mitigation obligations in light of this apparent policy uncertainty.

Rupert Stuart-Smith, Oxford Sustainable Law Programme.

Lieu
École normale supérieure – PSL
24 rue Lhomond – aile Erasme
salle Claude Froidevaux – E314