How the world prepares for and manages a new ecological era will be the focus of South African Professor of Law, Dr Louis J Kotze, when he delivers an open lecture at Griffith University on Wednesday (April 3).
An expert in environmental constitutionalism, human rights and the environment, and global environmental governance, Dr Kotze will consider the roles of law and governance as an era founded on climate change takes shape.
“My lecture will specifically attempt to identify a host of considerations that environmental lawyers will have to contemplate if global environmental law and governance are to better respond to the many challenges and complexities in the Anthropocene epoch,” Dr Kotze says.
The word Anthropocene describes a new geological epoch that follows the Holocene epoch. It is the signifier of the period in which people have a devastating and overwhelming impact on the Earth and its systems.
The public lecture is hosted by the Griffith Law School, and co-sponsored by the Australian Wild Law Alliance, and starts at 5.30pm at the Ship Inn Function Room on Griffith University’s South Bank campus.
Professor Brendan Mackey, Director of the Griffith Climate Change Response Program, and Associate Professor Afshin Akhtarkhavari from the Griffith Law School will respond to the paper.
Prof. Dr. Louis J. Kotzéis Professor of Law at the Faculty of Law of the North-West University in South Africa where he directs the post-graduate LLM programme in Environmental Law and Governance.