The justice dimensions of climate change expose a fundamental tension: impacts disproportionately affect those who have contributed least to global warming. This applies to marginalized and vulnerable populations as a matter of individual justice, to Global South communities as a matter of intragenerational justice, to future generations as a matter of intergenerational justice, and to species and ecosystems as a matter of interspecies justice. Demands for climate justice across these dimensions are increasingly central to climate science, the ethical discourse, and legal developments, both in academia and in practice.
This year's Hans Sigrist Symposium 2025 is dedicated to examining how these diverse demands for justice can be meaningfully integrated into law, specifically as foundational principles for climate law, and through litigation. By exploring equitable legal frameworks for adapting to and mitigating climate change, the symposium will highlight selected aspects of climate science, engage with evolving concepts of climate justice, and draw on compelling ethical arguments to shape a more just climate future.
The Symposium is initiated and sponsored by the Hans Sigrist Foundation.
Invited keynote speakers (all confirmed):
- Charlotte Blattner, University of Lausanne, CH
- Simon Caney, University of Warwick, UK
- Erich Fischer, ETH Zurich, CH
- Joyeeta Gupta, University of Amsterdam, NL
- Corina Heri, Tilburg University, NL
- Thomas Stocker, University of Bern, CH
- Roda Verheyen, Rechtsanwälte Günther, Hamburg, D
- Christina Voigt, University of Oslo, N
- Thom Wetzer, University of Oxford, UK
Detailed programme will be available in August 2025.
Venue and registration
The 1-day symposium will take place at UniS, Schanzenecksstrasse 1, 3012 Bern, Switzerland.
Detailed information and registration at conftool.
Deadline for registration: November 15, 2025.
Registration fee: CHF 30.- includes coffee break, vegetarian lunch and apéro (free of charge for OCCR Members).
Contact
Please contact us by email event.oeschger@unibe.ch.
