Upcoming Events

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Recent Events

  • CEL Annual Lecture 2016 - Our second Annual Lecture was held this year on the 29th September. Our speaker was the Hon Rob Stokes MP, NSW Minister for Planning, and esteemed Macquarie alumnus. The topic was “Cities and Sustainability: Operationalising Sustainability Principles in Metropolitan Planning Governance". This was an engaging lecture well received by the diverse audience in attendance, and followed by many thought-provoking and considered questions during the Q&A.
  • Professional Development Program with the Indonesian Ministry of National Development and Planning - Sustainable Public Procurement - This Program examined the interface between sustainable development and public procurement by way of discussing the concept of sustainable development, the role of public procurement in achieving sustainable development with reference to current state of play. Participants will understand the strengths and limitations of implementing sustainable public procurement in Indonesia in the context of global public procurement policies, best practices and Indonesian institutional and governance frameworks.
  • MOPA Professional Development Program - Effective Governance for Sustainable Development - This year, building on previous professional development programs run by the Centre, CEL, in collaboration with the Ministry of Public Administration of the Government of Bangladesh, welcomed 100 Bangladeshi officials to campus over the course of 5 weeks delivering a training program on the topic of effective governance for sustainable development. This program provided an opportunity for professional development of its participants to enhance understanding of key principles of sustainable development, effective governance, the rule of law, transparency and accountability, e-governance,public service ethics, human resource management, public policy development, and compliance challenges of international treaties.
  • Student Careers and Presentation Night - Following on from the success of the student paper and presentation competition launched last year, another round was held this year, with many excellent student presentations and papers on the topic of the Relationship between Environmental Justice and Human Rights. While all our finalists were excellent, and all universally commended by the Judging Panel, we congratulate our winners Kaitlin Murphy (Paper) and Nathan Ricardo (Presentation). Our expert panel generously gave up their time not only to judge the competition but also provide excellent careers advice to our student cohort. We sincerely thank the judges for their efforts: Hon Justice Nicola Pain, Judith Preston,David Newhouse and Matthew Fraser.
  • Sustainability Dialogues - This year our Sustainability Dialogue co-hosted with Ku-ring-gai Council was held on the 26th May at the Zenith Theatre in Chatswood.The topic was on NIMBYism and its role in democratic governance, policy making and local development. The Panel was hosted by comedian Rod Quantock, and the speakers on the panel were the Hon Justice Brian Preston SC, the Hon Rob Stokes MP, and Kate Smolski, CEO of the Nature Conservation Council.
  • At the start of this year Simon Populin was appointed to the position of Centre Administrator, succeeding Mostafa Naser who held the position in 2015. Simon was a volunteer with The Centre in 2015 and worked on both the first sustainability dialogue and the inaugural student paper/presentation competition. We thank Mostafa Naser for his efforts in his time at this post.

Archives

2015

Newest Centre Members

  • The Centre would like to welcome Associate Professor Carlos Bernal-Pulido, as one of our newest members. His interests include constitutional law, comparative environmental law, jurisprudence and torts. In the area of environmental law he is currently undertaken a research project on the protection and adjudication of the constitutional right to water in the global south, and on the protection of the right to healthy environment in Latin America. We look forward to his contribution in these areas of research and the Centre's undertakings.
  • The Centre would like to welcome aboard two new associate members, Andrew Burke and Zara Bending. Both are PhD candidates and staff at Macquarie Law School, exploring areas of environmental law in their research.

Recent Events

  • The Centre for Environmental Law recently held its inaugural lecture: “Access to Environmental Justice: The Effectiveness of Law”, presented by the Hon Justice Brian J Preston SC Chief Judge, Land and Environment Court of New South Wales. The night was a success, with participation ranging from academics, students and interested members of the public. The lecture focused on three crucial concepts of Environmental justice: distributive justice, procedural justice and justice as recognition. The presentation highlighted aspects in which the law is helping or hindering access to environmental justice in these senses, with a particular focus on New South Wales. See photos in our gallery
  • The Centre recently held the first annual Student Paper and Presentation Competition. This year, the focus of the paper and presentations was about Global Climate Change week in light of this year's UNCCC held in Paris. The subject of the submissions was based around the efficacy of current global problem solving strategies in relation to climate change and its effects. There was a pleasing contribution from first year law students as well as interesting presentations from diverse perspectives. The winners of the Presentation Competition were Samantha Marshall and Anneliese Cooper. The winner of the Paper Competition was Jennifer Tridgell. We would like to congratulate these outstanding contributions, as well as the effort and standard of all the entries. We would also like to thank again, the time and effort from the esteemed judging panel including, Mrs Judith Preston, Mr Paul Govind and Mr George Tomossy. We look forward to seeing more high quality entries next year!

Achievements

  • Congratulations to our newest member, Zara Bending, for being appointed to the Board of Directors for the Jane Goodall Institute Australia.
  • Our Centre Member, Dr Kirsten Davies (Macquarie University, Dept of Environmental Sciences and Macquarie Law School) has been invited byIntergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services ( IPBES) as an expert to undertake two roles in the global research project that will investigate biodiversity and ecosystem services required to support human well-being until 2050. The project will be conducted over three years (2015-2018). The two roles are:
    • Coordinating Lead Author (CLA) for Chapter 2 of IPBES deliverable 
    • Regional/subregional assessments on biodiversity and ecosystem services, for Asia and Pacific region. Kirsten was nominated for this role by the Australian Government.
    • Kirsten has been invited as one of twenty global experts scoping the global assessment on biodiversity and ecosystem service, which corresponds to Deliverable 2c of the IPBES work programme. This assessment will investigate the status and trends of biodiversity and ecosystem services, the impact of their changes on human well-being and the effectiveness of responses to changes, including the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020 of the Convention on Biological Diversity and its Aichi Biodiversity Targets. Kirsten was nominated for this role by the International Council for Science (ICSU) and Future Earth .
  • Congratulations to our Advisory Board Member, Professor Ben Boer on recently receiving the Senior Scholarship Award by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Academy of Environmental Law. This international award recognises excellence and creativity in scholarship produced by scholars during the five years preceding the Award. We heartily congratulate Ben for this well-deserved recognition of the contributions he continues to make to environmental law!

Want to get involved?

Kirsty, an Associate member of the Centre, is a member of the Global Network for the Study of Human Rights and the Environment (GNHRE). The GNHRE members have developed the Draft Declaration on Human Rights and Climate Change that has been released recently in preparation for the 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP 21). Kirsty was one of thirteen authors from across the world who have drafted this declaration and the only Australian.

GNHRE is inviting individuals and/or organisation wishing to offer their responses and/ or ‘in principle’ support for the future adoption of such a Declaration to please email Kirsty before Friday February 19th 2016. The email must include full contact details, including affiliations. If you’re interested in forming a response, please email Kirsty at: kirsty.davies@mq.edu.au

2013

Publications update

  • Ben Richardson, Fiduciary Law and Responsible Investing: In Nature's Trust (Routledge: London, 2013); xi; 334 pp. (sole author).
  • Hart, B.T. and Taylor, M.P. (Eds.) (2013). Review of the surface water management and monitoring associated with the Ranger Uranium Mine, Northern Territory, Australia, Volume 1 - Main Report, Report of the Independent Surface Water Working Group, Energy Resources of Australia Ltd, Darwin, January 2013, 40pp.
  • Hart, B.T. and Taylor, M.P. (Eds.) (2013b). Review of the surface water management and monitoring associated with the Ranger Uranium Mine, Northern Territory, Australia, Volume 2 - Consultant Reports, Report of the Independent Surface Water Working Group, Energy Resources of Australia Ltd, Darwin, January 2013, 352pp.
  • Taylor, M.P. 2013. Independent Surface Water Working Group (ISWWG): A Review of the ISWWG Project Reports. In Hart, B.T. and Taylor, M.P. (Eds.) (2013b). Review of the surface water management and monitoring associated with the Ranger Uranium Mine, Northern Territory, Australia, Volume 2 - Consultant Reports, Report of the Independent Surface Water Working Group, Energy Resources of Australia Ltd, Darwin, January 2013, pp. 27-34.

2012

Routledge Handbook of International and Environmental LawThe Routledge Handbook of International and Environmental Law, co-authored by MU-CIEL Director Shawkat Alam, will be published in September 2012. This advanced level reference guide provides a contemporary and comprehensive overview of international environmental law.  The book draws on sources from international experts from developing and developed countries to provide a truly global approach.   

The Routledge Handbook of International and Environmental Law covers six areas that will become increasingly relevant in our globalised and environmentally conscious world:

  • The Legal Framework, Theories and Principles of International Environmental Law
  • Implementing International Environmental Law - addresses the role of various actors and institutions
  • Key Issues and Legal Frameworks - brings fresh perspectives of the common general issues of international environmental law
  • Regional Environmental Law - explores the specific regimes developed to address regional environmental issues
  • Cross-Cutting Issues - considers the engagement of international environmental law with other key fields and legal regimes
  • Contemporary and Future Challenges - analyses pressing current and emerging issues in the field.

Publications update

  • Ben Richardson, Local Climate Change Law: Environmental Regulation in Cities and Other Localities (Edward Elgar Publishing: Cheltenham, 2012); xviii; 401 pp. (sole editor and chapter author).
  • Alexander Zahar, Jacqueline Peel, and Lee Godden, Australian Climate Law in Global Context, Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 2012. (xxxi + 455 pp.)
  • Davies PJ, Ives CD, Taylor MP & Findlay SJ (2012) Does science contribute adequately to the decision-making frameworks used to protect urban rivers and riparian systems?  In Grove, J.R. and Rutherford, I.D (eds.) Proceedings of the 6th Australian Stream management Conference,  Managing for Extremes, 6-8 February 2012, Canberra. pp. 549-557.
  • Findlay SJ, Jonasson OJ, Davies PJ, Taylor MP & Gore DG (2012) Extracting base flow to substitute for potable water use - how much is too much for urban stream health? in Grove, J.R. and Rutherford, I.D (eds.) Proceedings of the 6th Australian Stream management Conference, Managing for Extremes , 6-8  February 2012, Canberra. pp. 68-75.
  • Greene, GR, Begg G & Davies, PJ (2012) Climate change impact assessment - the Sydney Catchment Authority's approach. Proceedings of the Australian Water Association OZwater 2012 Conference 8-10 May 2012, Sydney.

2011

Conferences

  • Professor Natalie Klein to present "From Eco-Terrorism to Eco-Tourism: Assessing Effective Regulatory Tools and Regimes in Marine Management" at the ILA Regional Conference in Taipei, May 2011.
  • Dr Erika Techera presents "Strengthening international law for the conservation and management of sharks" at
    Towards RIO+20: Contemporary Issues in International Environmental Law at ANU, Canberra, on 28 May 2011.
  • Emeritus Professor Zada Lipman presents "Climate Change and Coastal Protection", at the Land and Environment Court of New South Wales Annual Conference, 5 - 6 May 2011, Sydney.
  • Professor Natalie Klein and Dr Erika Techera present at the American Society of International Law meeting in Washington DC on 27th March 2011.

Faculty

  • Centre member Dr Natalie Klein appointed Dean of the Macquarie Law School from 2011.

Publications update

  • Dr Erika Techera publishes "Safeguarding cultural heritage: Law and policy in Fiji" in the Journal of Cultural Heritage.
  • Emeritus Professor Zada Lipman and Dr Robert Stokes  publish new article - Z Lipman & R Stokes, "That Sinking Feeling: A Legal Assessment of the Coastal Planning System in New South Wales (2011) 28 Environmental Planning & Law Journal 1 - 19.
  • Emeritus Professor Zada Lipman has contributed a chapter to a new publication on environmental compliance and enforcement - "Compliance and Enforcement of International Conventions in Australia", in Compliance and Enforcement in Environmental Law: Toward More Effective Implementation, Paddock, Kotze, Markell, Markowitz, Du Qun and Zaelke, (eds), Edward Elgar Publisher
  • Emeritus Professor Zada Lipman publishes "An Evaluation of Compliance and Enforcement Mechanisms in theEnvironment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (Cth) and their Application by the Commonwealth". (2010) 27 Environmental and Planning Law JournaI 98-112.
  • Associate Professor Natalie Klein and Dr Erika Techera publish journal article "Fragmented Governance: Reconciling legal strategies for shark conservation and management" (2011) 35(1) Marine Policy 73-78.

Other

  • Robert Stokes, MP for Pittwater, will speak at Macquarie Law School in LAW490/861Local Government and Planning Law. The presentation will be on 28th February 2011 from 9-11am in W6B 320.

2010

Conferences

  • Dr Shawkat Alam presents The Linkages between Climate Change, Poverty and Sustainable Development: An Appraisal of Inter and Intra-Generational Equity at the IUCN Academy of Environmental Law 8th Colloquium at Ghent University.
  • Associate Professor Natalie Klein presents at ANZSIL - July 2010.
  • Dr Erika Techera co-chairs the 9th Global Conference on Environmental Justice and Global Citizenship - July 2010.
  • Associate Professor Natalie Klein and Dr Erika Techera present at the Sharks International Conference - June 2010.
  • Associate Professor Natalie Klein presents at the Pirates of the Southern Ocean Conference ANU, Canberra - April 2010.

Faculty

  • Emeritus Professor Zada Lipman joins MU-CIEL -September 2010.
  • Centre relaunches as the Centre for International & Environmental Law.

Grant success

  • Associate Professor Natalie Klein has been awarded an MQNS Grant International or Regional Approaches to Marine Resource Management under International Law: A Case Study of Northern Bluefin Tuna.Dr Erika Techera - a Visiting Scholar at the University of Hawaii, September and October 2010
  • Dr Erika Techera and Associate Professor Natalie Klein have been successfully awarded a Macquarie Research Development Grant to explore legal strategies for the sustainable management of shark ecotourism activities.

Media

Publications update

  • Professor Rafiq Islam "Looming Global Warming Induced Sea Rise and Transfer of Green Technology to LDCs: Challenges and Options for Submersible Bangladesh" (2010) 12 European Intellectual Property Review.
  • Professor Rafiq Islam "The Proposed Australia China FTA: Protectionism over Complementarity?" (2010) 37:3 Legal Issues of Economic Integration 203-219.
  • Associate Professor Natalie Klein and Dr Shawkat Alam's new publication Globalisation and the Quest for Social and Environmental Justice.
  • Dr Erika Techera's chapter entitled 'Customary Law and Community Based Conservation of Marine Areas in Fiji' in the newly released volume Managing Environmental Justice edited by Denis Pavlich.

Other