Archives - Program 2020

The climate emergency requires strong and swift government action to save the planet. If no action is taken, can the courts compel the political authorities to take the necessary steps and impose sanctions?

Humans have had such an impact on the Earth's ecosystem that some argue for the creation of a new geological era: the Anthropocene. The very survival of the human race may be threatened. While meaningful political action is still slow to materialize, a growing number of activists see the judiciary as the only means of forcing States to take action and sanctioning them if they fail to do so. Can justice, which is often used to arbitrate conflicts between politicians and activists, have a role to play in this struggle? Do the courts have the capacity to force politicians to act against climate change?
In the documentary The Earth Lawyer, legal experts Polly Higgins and Baltasar Garzón attempt to have the crime of ecocide and the liabilities of large corporations that pollute and destroy the environment recognized in the name of international law.

ClimateJustice

Co-presented with the Festival du Film Vert de Genève and Avocats sans Frontières