Corporations’ Role in the Environmental Crisis: Problem or Solution?

Thanks to the Green Dragons Project (see our previous post) the 8th annual Public Interest Environmental Law (PIEL) UK conference will be hosted for the first-time at City University London! Ted Okoroji, an Environmental Champion and a Senior Adviser to PIEL tells us more about PIEL, the upcoming conference and why this is a great opportunity for City Students…

PIEL UK is a student led organisation formed in 2007 by students from various University of London colleges that now brings together students from several London universities, including City University London.
PIEL UK aims to promote environmental justice and strengthen the role of the legal profession in redressing environmental injustices. To this end PIEL UK organises and delivers a yearly event, or events, on a theme related to environmental justice.

This year’s conference theme, ‘ Corporations’ Role in the Environmental Crisis: Problem or Solution?‘ will explore whether we should reign in corporate power for the sake of environmental protection or empower corporations to find innovative solutions to avert the looming crisis.
We are in an era where humans can transform nature but are also extremely vulnerable to natural changes, particularly when we consider that anthropogenic climate change is now an incontrovertible truth. Thus PIEL has drawn together a wide range of speakers to not only highlight the adverse effects of corporate control of the environment but also to propose solutions. Topics that will be covered at the conference include:

• The anatomy of the corporation: is it built to kill?
• International environmental law and its role in mitigating, preventing and facilitating environmental harm related to business activities
• WTO and the impact of unrestricted trade
  … and many more!

Confirmed speakers include:

• Judge Weeramantry, Vice-President of the International Court of Justice(1997-2000);
• Professor Richard Macrory Q.C., UCL;
• Tim Edwards, Bhopal Tragedy Activist;
• Sailesh Mehta, Red Lion Chambers;
• Dr Nilupul Somathilaka, Research Assistant, Weeramantry International Centre For Peace Education and Research and
• Dr Carrie Bradshaw, University of York.

The conference, held on 11 April 2014, will be an all-day event at CASS Business School. The conference will include refreshments, lunch, and an evening drinks reception. It will be a perfect opportunity for City students to meet and network with world-reknowned organisations and inspirational figures in environmental law. In any case the conference will certainly provide a forum for discussion that will challenge City students to engage in shaping sustainable policy making for the future so if you’re interested in environmental law, human rights or sustainability come to this year’s PIEL UK conference.

Save the date and make it a point to be there!

For more information about PIEL UK, the conference, and buying tickets visit: www.piel.org.uk
For more information on Green Dragons, visit: http://www.green-dragons.co.uk/