Distinguished lecture on the constitutional right to a stable climate system

In the face of irreversible climate tipping points and the failure of statutory law to control carbon dioxide pollution, youth around the world are suing their governments to act before it is too late.

The campaign, called Atmospheric Trust Litigation, recently won a landmark ruling from a federal district court declaring a constitutional right to a stable climate system.

Professor Mary Wood, University of Oregon School of Law, will discuss this litigation in the context of climate urgency and the federal government’s policy to spur production of fossil fuels on Sept. 20 at the Getches-Wilkinson Center's 2017 Distinguished Lecture titled "Atmospheric Trust Litigation: Securing a Constitutional Right to a Stable Climate System."

The award-winning professor originated the legal theory Atmospheric Trust Litigation, and her research is being used in cases brought on behalf of youth throughout the world. 

Wood is the Philip H. Knight Professor of Law at the University of Oregon and the faculty director of the law school's nationally acclaimed Environmental and Natural Resources Law Center. She is the co-author of leading textbooks on public trust law and natural resources law and a frequent speaker on climate issues, receiving national and international attention for her sovereign trust approach to global climate policy.

The event is free and open to the public, but you must be registered to attend. A reception will follow at Boettcher Hall.