By Dr Philippa England
On Tuesday and Wednesday, 6-7 February 2018, environmental scholars from across Australia and New Zealand came together to share their thinking about the frontiers of environmental law. The event was hosted by the Law Futures Centre of Griffith University and the University of Tasmania’s Faculty of Law. The National Environmental Law Association also supported the event.
The annual Frontiers in Environmental Law Colloquium provides a forum for environmental law teachers and researchers to share and discuss their ideas, research and teaching practices. Through a supportive forum, we aim to: explore innovative ideas across our discipline; contribute to the future of environmental law in our region; foster collaboration amongst like-minded individuals; and help researchers and academics to actively build their careers.
Environmental law is a diverse field that draws on a wide range of legal traditions and techniques as well as inter-disciplinary knowledge. In 2018 we heard and discussed a number of topics relating to — trajectories for sustainable development law; water law and mining; regulatory trends and issues in environmental law; climate change and big picture thinking. The presentations were of an excellent standard prompting much debate and further discussion. It was a great opportunity to hear from newcomers to academia as well as some of our favourite, well established environmental law academics. The comradery and fine food continued with a delicious meal out on Tuesday evening and some of us were lucky enough to follow up the event with a subsequent conference, Imagining a Different Future:Overcoming Barriers to Climate Justice, hosted by the University of Tasmania, later in the week.
In short, we can’t wait to do it all again next year — perhaps we’ll see you there too!