event
Lex Mundi Nova webinar series
Thursday
07
May
ICJ

Nuclear weapons and the protection of the environment

Sébastien Philippe, Lili Xia, Dr. M.J. Wewerinke-Singh, Helen Obregon
, -

Online

 

The Lex Mundi Nova Webinar Series is convened by Horizon 2045, in partnership with the Geneva Graduate Institute, the University of Johannesburg, the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN), International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War (IPPNW), Lawyers Committee for Nuclear Policy (LCNP) and International Association of Lawyers against Nuclear Arms (IALANA) 

Add to Calendar
Add to calendar
Registration Link
REGISTER HERE

Webinar 2: Nuclear weapons and the protection of the environment: 
developments in science and international law since the 1996 ICJ Advisory Opinion

 

While the 1996 ICJ AO highlighted the relevance of international environmental law (IEL) to the question of the legality of the use of nuclear weapons, it merely concluded that IEL “indicates important environmental factors that are properly to be taken into account” when implementing IHL. Thirty years later, how have those “important environmental factors” evolved? What does new science say about the environmental impacts of nuclear weapons? IEL has expanded considerably over the last thirty years, notably in the area of “climate law”. How do these IEL developments further constrain the legality of nuclear weapons? How have IHL rules protecting the environment been strengthened?

 

Speakers

 

  • Sébastien Philippe, Assistant Professor of Nuclear Engineering and Engineering Physics, University of Wisconsin-Madison
  • Lili Xia, Assistant Research Professor, Department of Environmental Sciences, Rutgers University
  • Dr. M.J. Wewerinke-Singh, Associate Professor of Sustainability Law, University of Amsterdam; Adjunct Professor, University of Fiji
  • Helen Obregon, Senior Legal Adviser, International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC)

The Lex Mundi Nova webinar series explores the legacy of the landmark 1996 Advisory Opinion of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on the Legality of the Threat or Use of Nuclear Weapons. By examining the ruling itself, the shifts in international law and new science in the last three decades, and emerging technological and geopolitical risks—from nuclear testing, to AI, to warfare in space—the series will ultimately consider whether the ruling’s ambiguities and gaps can and should be resolved in light of today’s legal and evidentiary realities. 

With partners and expert panelists from around the world, the series will examine key developments in international law since 1996 relevant to the legality of nuclear weapons including international humanitarian law (IHL), international human rights law (IHRL), international environmental law (IEL), and the rights of future generations, against the backdrop of significant new scientific evidence of the humanitarian, environmental, and socio-economic consequences of nuclear weapons. 

The series will consider the progress and setbacks in fulfilling the Court’s unanimous ruling that States are under an obligation to pursue in good faith and conclude negotiations to achieve nuclear disarmament in all its aspects. It will also probe the Court’s controversial decision to leave a critical question unresolved: whether the threat or use of nuclear weapons would be lawful or unlawful in an extreme circumstance of self-defense where a State’s survival is at stake. 

Finally, the series will consider the legal obligations that may be triggered by emerging and complex risks, such as artificial intelligence in nuclear command, control and communications systems, and the placement of nuclear weapons in outer space.

Click HERE for more information on Lex Mundi Nova and the entire webinar series

In partnership with:

Logos

 

Disclaimer

This event may be filmed, recorded and/or photographed on behalf of the Geneva Graduate Institute. The Institute may use these recordings and photographs for internal and external communications for information, teaching and research purposes, and/or promotion and illustration through its various media channels (website, social media, newsletters).

By participating in this event, you are agreeing to the possibility of appearing in the aforementioned films, recordings and photographs, and their subsequent use by the Institute.

Your personal data is collected only for the organisation of this event.

For further information, please consult our privacy policy, our FAQ or contact us directly: events@graduateinstitute.ch.