Companies & Climate Change - Legal Liability and Human Rights Challenges After Paris/COP21

IHRB, the International Bar Association, Washington College of Law’s Center for Human Rights & Humanitarian Law, Business and Human Rights Resource Center, Center for International Environmental Law and Sidney Austin LLP are pleased to invite you to attend “Companies and Climate Change: Legal Liability and Human Rights Challenges After Paris/COP21”, which is being held in Washington, D.C. from 2:30-5:30pm on May 5.

It is an official side event of Climate Action 2016, a multi-stakeholder summit being held in Washington, D.C. on May 5-6.  Climate Action 2016 is the first major international event on the implementation of the Paris Agreement since it was adopted by governments at COP21 in 2015. Summit co-hosts include the United Nations, World Bank, University of Maryland, and the World Business Council on Sustainable Development.

Climate Change is the defining issue of our time.  In the coming decade and beyond, every major commercial enterprise will feel its impact, some more severely than others.   In the wake of the Paris Agreement, it is now clear that pressure on businesses to reduce carbon emissions and to help mitigate the impact of climate change will increase.  It is almost certain that we will see an increase in the use of laws, regulations, lawsuits and the threat of lawsuits to accelerate the pace at which businesses address climate-related issues.

• What can businesses expect in the coming years?
• What liability might businesses face for economic damages and human rights impacts attributed to climate change? 
• What can businesses do today to avert climate-related challenges tomorrow? 
• How does doing the right thing with respect to climate change also make good business sense?  

The Companies & Climate Change event will address these and other questions. You can register to attend the event here.  

You will be asked to provide your email address before being prompted to provide basic registration information.  By registering, you will enjoy access to the two sessions from 2:30–5:30pm, but not the entire Climate Action 2016 summit.  If you are interested in attending the entire summit, please send a request to Sosseh Prom (Sosseh.Prom (at) int-bar.org), and we will be pleased to transmit it to the summit organizers.