Climate litigation against companies in a comparative perspective

In-person event

In this seminar, Prof M Marc-Philippe Weller (Heidelberg University) takes the spectacular 2021 Milieudefensie v Shell ruling from a first instance court in The Hague as an opportunity to identify cross-jurisdictional problems of civil climate change litigation from a comparative perspective.

The Shell case was the first climate action between private parties that was successful in the first instance and led to Shell’s obligation to drastically reduce its greenhouse gas emissions, including its Scope 3 emissions. From the perspective of legal realism, the Dutch ruling provides a momentum for climate litigation worldwide. However, from the perspective of potential lawsuits for the reduction of CO2 emissions against companies in Germany, one must assert that the Shell ruling cannot simply be transposed into the German legal order.

Discussant: Dr Katherine Owens, Director of the Australian Centre for Climate and Environmental Law.

About the speaker

Prof. Dr. Marc-Philippe Weller, Vice-Rector for International Affairs of Heidelberg University

Prof. Marc-Philippe Weller has been Vice-Rector for International Affairs of Heidelberg University since 2019. He was appointed Professor for Private Law, Company Law, Private International Law, and Comparative Law at Heidelberg University in 2014. As Vice-Rector, Prof. Weller is responsible for the international partnerships of Heidelberg University, in particular the 4EU+ European University Alliance (Sorbonne, Copenhagen, Geneva, Heidelberg, Milan, Prague and Warsaw), as well as the Heidelberg University’s centres abroad in Santiago de Chile, New York, Delhi, and Kyoto. He is also in charge of legal compliance.

Prof. Weller studied Law at the universities of Heidelberg and Montpellier, and earned his doctorate at Heidelberg University in 2004, while he was also employed as an associate advocate. He completed his habilitation at the University of Cologne in 2008. Before accepting the appointment to Heidelberg University, Prof. Weller held a Chair at the University of Mannheim from 2008 to 2011, and at the University of Freiburg from 2011 to 2014. He has been a visiting professor at universities in Austria (Vienna), France (Paris), Sweden (Goteborg), Taiwan and the USA (Georgetown). Prof. Weller has also directed two summer courses at the Hague Academy for International Law.

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Wednesday 30 November

Time: 12-1pm
This event is being held in-person at Sydney Law School.
Location: The University of Sydney, Boardroom, Level 4, New Law Building (F10)

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