Climate Change and the Right to Protest

Climate protests and activism are increasing in Canada and other nations in response to the perceived inadequacies of governments and corporations to take climate action with the urgency and ambition needed to address the gravity of global warming. Protesting may be an expression of human rights, but also is portrayed by some as unlawful civil disobedience that disrupts the interests of workers, businesses and essential government services. This panel will critically discuss a variety of legal issues associated with current climate change protests, including the validity of the “climate emergency” defence that protesters assert to justify ethically and legally their defiance.

Professor Benjamin J. Richardson, University of Tasmania, Faculty of Law and currently a Visiting Professor at Queen’s University, Faculty of Law A global specialist in environmental law, Professor Benjamin J. Richardson is based at the University of Tasmania, Australia. He previously held a Canada Research Chair in Environmental Law…