Day 1 Tuesday 27th June – online
Working Party sessions
9am - Water: The mass die off of marine animals in the Tees - what has happened here?
In the autumn of 2021, a large number of dying and distressed crabs were washed ashore along the coastlines of County Durham and Teesside. Initially dismissed as a toxic algal bloom, a re-investigation suggested more complex causes. At the time of writing, it remains unclear whether the deaths were the result of legacy pollution from Teesside, a novel shellfish disease, or some as-yet-unknown factor. One of the academics involved in the re-investigation, John Bothwell from Durham University, will explain the science with which the deaths are being investigated. He will also explain why the deaths matter, looking forward to think about how the fates of Northumbrian shellfish are forcing us to think about the UK’s relationship with the seas and sediments that surround us.
Chair: Nicholas Ostrowski, Barrister, Six Pump Court Chambers
Speakers:
- Dr John Bothwell, Associate Professor in Bioenergy, Durham University
- Joe Redfern, leader of the Whitby Lobster Hatchery
12pm - Climate Change and Energy / Nature Conservation combined session: Will nature-based solutions solve the climate and biodiversity crises or will they cause double trouble?
There will be two separate but connected panel discussions with a 30 minute break between them.
Panel 1 Chair: Richard Barlow, Partner, Browne Jacobson
Speakers:
- Rachel Warren, Professor of Global Change and Environmental Biology, School of Environmental Sciences, University of East Anglia
- Professor James Pearce-Higgins, Director of Science, British Trust of Ornithology
- Huub Den Roojhen, Marine Advisor for Crown Estate
Panel 2 Chair: Becky Clissmann, Counsel, Ashurst LLP
Speakers:
- Dr Renee Kerkvliet-Hermans, Peatland Code Coordinator, IUCN UK Peatland Programme
- Nigel Brooke Partner, Clyde & Co
- Katie de Kauwe, Lawyer, Friends of the Earth
5pm - Wales
Chair: William Wilson, Wyeside Consulting
Speaker: Dr Nerys Llewelyn Jones, Interim Environmental Protection Assessor for Wales
Evening - Film club: “SEVERN - The Poisoning of Britain’s Amazon”. Environment Agency whistleblowers, experts and people who live by and work with the river give their testimonials to how the river has been allowed to deteriorate and the dire consequences for people and wildlife, followed by panel discussion.
Day 2 Wednesday 28th June – online
Working Party sessions
9am -EDI Forum: UKELA's next steps discussion
12pm - Environmental Litigation: Is there a Human Right to Healthy Water - Potential Liability for Persistent Water Polluters in Human Rights Law
In the UK and around the world, water offers a wide range of essential benefits to both the environment and human communities. Rivers, waterways and bodies of water are vital sources of freshwater for human consumption, agriculture and industry, flood risk control, cultural and historical significance, valuable recreational space and are home to diverse ecosystems supporting an array of plant and animal species. These aquatic ecosystems also contribute to biodiversity conservation and help maintain healthy land and marine functioning. The right to water itself is acknowledged as a fundamental human right and implies access to water and sanitation that is free from harmful pollutants, contaminants and substances that could pose risks to human health. Ensuring the safety and quality of water is an integral part of fulfilling the right to water. Water ecosystems are currently under threat not only globally but here in the UK through pollution from sewage, intensive industrial farming amongst others. The Council of Europe has proposed an amendment to the European Convention on Human Rights to add a right to the healthy environment. How would this affect water? Our seminar will bring together experts to look at the potential remedies for water pollution from a human rights and rights of nature perspective and what if any are the solutions.
Chair: Sue Willman, Assistant Director and Supervising solicitor in King's Legal Clinic
Speakers:
- Dr Inga Winkler, Associate Professor in International Human Rights Law
- Darragh Coffey, Barrister, 1 Crown Office Row
- Brontie Ansell, Senior Lecturer in Law, Essex Law School
2.30pm - Waste: The role of legislation in creating an effective DRS
Chair: Dr Anna Willetts, Partner at Gunnercooke
Speakers:
- Louisa Goodfellow, Policy Adviser, Ecosurety
- Ryan Buzzell , Managing Director,TOMRA Collection UK
- Carla Brian, Biffa
5pm - Noise: Life amidst Quiet and Noise - A Planner's view
Chair: Frank McManus, Honorary Professor of Law at the University of Stirling
Speaker: Roger Kirkham MRTPI(Ret), Dip Management
Thursday 29th June – no formal activity
Delegates have the option to arrive at the venue on Thursday evening, see booking form.
Day 3 Friday 30th June – in person
Breakfast 7.30am-9am for those who stayed Thursday evening
9.30am-10.45am Registration with tea/coffee, networking with sponsors
10.45 am Introduction and welcome
Simon Tilling, Legal Manager – Environmental, Pennon Group, Conference Chair
Gareth de Graaff, Executive Director UKELA
11.00 am Opening Address
Rt Hon Lord Justice Lindblom, President of UKELA, Court of Appeal Supervising Lord Justice for Planning and Environmental law and Senior President of Tribunals
11.15am PLENARY 1
Law in an era of environmental crises: What’s the role of professionals?
As a nation, and as a world, we are in the midst of a climate and biodiversity emergency. How, if at all, does the urgency of this situation affect our role as practitioners? Is there now a duty for “climate conscious lawyering” (and what does that really mean)? Do any existing ethical duties – whether for lawyers or other professionals - need to adapt? Join Becky Clissmann, Professor Steven Vaughan, Estelle Dehon KC and Professor Tom Oliver for an insightful debate on these very pressing issues with a call to arms from Farhana Yamin.
Chair: Becky Clissmann, Counsel, Ashurst LLP
Speakers:
- Prof Steven Vaughan, Vice-Dean (Strategy) & Professor of Law and Professional Ethics, University College London
- Prof Tom Oliver, Professor of Applied Ecology, University of Reading
- Estelle Dehon KC, UKELA trustee and barrister at Cornerstone Barristers
- Farhana Yamin, environmental lawyer, climate change and development policy expert (pre-recorded)
12.45pm Speaker’s Corner – Andrew Lees essay prize winner, Garima Thakur, a first-year undergraduate law student at the West Bengal National University of Juridical Sciences, Kolkata (pre-recorded)
1pm AGM
1.15pm Lunch and networking with sponsors
2.15pm PLENARY 2
Chemical regulation – an opportunity to develop your practice in the face of a changing landscape.
An expert panel of representatives have been brought together from industry, trade association, legal sector and government in this session for a lively debate on the issues affecting the chemical sector from a regulatory perspective, e.g. REACH / UK REACH, and what environmental lawyers and consultants need to consider in terms of adapting their practice to meet the needs of both industry and regulation. This panel will provide an opportunity to hear varying perspectives on this ever changing subject along with the chance for questions from the audience to our expert panellists.
Chair: Simon Tilling, Legal Manager – Environmental, Pennon Group
Speakers:
- Darren Abrahams, Partner, Steptoe & Johnson
- Silvia Segna, Senior Chemicals Policy Executive, Chemical Industries Association
- Neil Hollis, Regulatory Affairs Manager, BASF
3.45pm Case law update - Esther Drabkin-Reiter, Francis Taylor Building
4pm Keynote address - Mike Berners-Lee consults, thinks, writes and researches on sustainability and responses to 21st century problems. Author of acclaimed books including: There is No Planet B: A Handbook for the Make or Break Years and How Bad Are Bananas? The carbon footprint of everything, Mike is a professor at Lancaster University, where his research includes supply chain carbon modelling, sustainable food systems and the environmental impact of ICT.
4.30pm Break, networking with sponsors
5pm PLENARY 3
Corporate diligence and reporting: will the markets save the environment?
ESG reporting is important for transparency, but what does good ESG reporting look like? The panel will discuss the challenges faced by businesses, consumers and regulators alike, including the knowledge gap, data collection barriers and greenwashing. The largely voluntary nature of ESG reporting is becoming increasingly mandatory with the advent of regulations including the EU Taxonomy, SFDR, CSRD, SDR and the UK Taxonomy. Will this ensure better sustainability outcomes?
Chair: Anne Johnstone, Head of ESG, Northtree Investment Management Ltd.
Speakers:
- Melissa Darby, Sustainability Corporate Counsel for Cummins
- Rebecca Kowalski FPFS, Sustainable Finance specialist, Overstory Finance
- George Richards, Partner KPMG
6.30pm Close and time for delegates to check into rooms
7.30pm until late buffet dinner and networking in Meadow Suite
Day 4 Saturday 1st July – in person
7am - 8.30am Breakfast and checkout
8.45am PLENARY 4
Nature-based solutions – threats and opportunities
The importance of ecosystem services, nature-based solutions and ‘natural capital’ are becoming widely recognised for the role that they play in enhancing resilience of ecosystems and societies that depend on them, in supporting adaptation to climate hazards, and in delivering significant biodiversity benefits. Recent international agreements have drawn heavily on nature-based solutions in seeking an approach both to the climate and nature emergencies. Nature-based solutions are already front and centre of the UK’s environmental policy as a means of addressing and mitigating impacts from development. In addition, the marine environment is being increasingly recognised for the many ecosystem services that it provides. Our expert panel will provide an international, national, marine and practical focus to this rapidly evolving and innovative area of environmental work.
Chair: Penny Simpson, Partner, Freeths LLP
Speakers:
- Patricia Kameri-Mbote , Director of the Law Division, of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)
- Dr Sam Sinclair, Director, Biodiversify
- Rachel Fisher, Deputy Director Land Use Policy, Defra
10.15am Case law update - Stephanie David, 39 Essex Chambers
10.35am Break, networking with sponsors
11.10am The North American perspective: hot topics in environmental law in the US and Canada
Jonathan will provide his perspective on the emerging issues and key developments within environmental law in the US and Canada. In particular, he will pick out two key themes. Firstly, the role that ESG is playing in shaping the environmental agenda in North America, including the adoption of ESG reporting and metrics by North American businesses, the role of regulators, and the rising anti-ESG movement. Secondly, the rise of environmental justice in law and policy, and Jonathan will highlight some of the trends and developments in the US and Canada.
Speaker: Jonathan Kahn, Chair of the American Bar Association Section of Environment, Energy and Resources (ABA SEER) and Partner at Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP, Toronto, Canada
11.30am PLENARY 5
Environmental governance in a changing political landscape
There is lots going on in the sphere of environmental governance across the UK at present and we will consider some of the key issues during this plenary. We will hear from the recently established environmental governance bodies about the key themes they have been, and will be exploring, and will also hear their views on key issues facing environmental governance in the UK, both nationally and at a devolved level. We will also take an academic look at current environmental governance issues, in particular the de-regulation agenda and UK regulatory divergence, considering amongst other things, the Retained EU Law (Revocation & Reform) Bill (which may have become law by the time of conference), the Internal Market Act and common frameworks. We will also have plenty of time at the end for our expert panel to consider and respond to questions from the Chair and delegates.
Chair – Prof Colin Reid, Professor of Law, Dundee University
Speakers:
- Mark Roberts (ESS)
- Natalie Prosser (OEP, CEO)
- Dr Nerys Llewelyn Jones (Interim Assessor)
- Viviane Gravey, Senior Lecturer in European Politics, Queen's University Belfast
1.00pm Closing address, Farewell and thanks – Ned Westaway, Chair, UKELA
1.15pm Close (lunch available)
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