Press release from Furman University:
GREENVILLE, S.C.—The General Counsel for the U.S. Department of Defense will kick off a conference Friday, Feb. 7, on the legal and ethical issues related to climate change.
The 12th annual Law & Society Symposium, “Legal, Ethical, and Policy Implications of a Changing Climate,” takes place at the Charleston Music Hall and includes public and private sector attorneys, government officials, law professors and a climate scientist who share their expertise in environmental law and discuss the fast-approaching legal implications of a new climate.
The Charleston Law Review and The Riley Institute at Furman University host the symposium.
Don Gordon, executive director of The Riley Institute, explained, “Climate change is having a massive impact in South Carolina, especially along the coast where sea level rise, flooding, more frequent hurricanes and the loss of homes and businesses threaten society and the economy. This conference on the nexus of the law and more threatening environmental change is extremely important and timely.”
Charleston School of Law President Ed Bell added, “The impact we have placed on our Earth in the name of economic development needs to be balanced with the world we want to leave our children. The reality of climate change makes it imperative upon us in the legal community to work together on the regulatory framework of the future. We must instill a sense of urgency to prevent irreversible damage to the world we call home.”
The Honorable Paul Ney of the U.S. Department of Defense will present an 8:45 a.m. keynote address after a welcome from Charleston School of Law Dean Andy Abrams at 8:30 a.m.
The symposium also will feature three panel discussions from expert attorneys:
9:30 a.m. Panel One: “Sea Level Rise: Preparing for a New Reality”
Charleston School of Law Professor Allyson Haynes-Stuart will moderate a panel consisting of Harry Kelso, Deputy General Counsel for Environment, Energy and Installations for the U.S. Department of Defense; Tom Mullikin, Professor of Environmental Law for Charleston School of Law; and Dr. Astrid Caldas, Senior Climate Scientist.
10:45 a.m. Panel Two: “Offshore Drilling: Can Judicial Influence Effect Change?”
Charleston School of Law Professor Bill Merkel will moderate a panel that consists of Keith B. Hall, Director of the Mineral Law Institute; Catherine Wannamaker, Senior Attorney for Southern Environmental Law Center; and Patrick Parenteau, Senior Counsel for environmental and Natural Resources Law Clinic.
12:00 noon Panel Three: “Water Quality: Merging Policy and Pragmatism.”
Charleston School of Law Professor Miller Shealy will moderate a panel consisting of Amy Armstrong, Executive Director and General Counsel for the South Carolina Environmental Law Project; Karen Colmie, Associate General Counsel for the U.S. Department of Defense; and Robert Glicksman, Professor of Environmental Law at the George Washington University Law School.
The symposium is free and open to the public, but registration is required. Space is limited. To register, go to this link.
Attorneys who attend can receive continuing legal education credit at no cost. The symposium qualifies for three hours of CLE credit in South Carolina. Registration for the CLE (course number 202350) starts at 8 a.m. The CLE concludes at 1 p.m.