The Environment & the War in Ukraine - International Legal Perspectives

Presented 04/10/23 at the University of Minnesota Duluth by Carl Bruch, Director of International Programs, Environmental Law Institute (ELI) and founding President, Environmental Peacebuilding Association (EnPAx) and Carroll Muffett, CEO and President of the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL)
Through direct destruction or indirect triggers, wars leave staggering impacts on the environment far beyond the war zones. Drawing on examples from the current war in Ukraine, Carl Bruch and Carroll Muffett will offer a snapshot of the diverse environmental impacts of war and explore the linkages to the climate crisis. They will discuss the primary legal dimensions to be considered and examine the options for holding Russia accountable under international law.
Carl Bruch is the Director of International Programs at the Environmental Law Institute (ELI) and the founding President of the Environmental Peacebuilding Association (EnPAx). His work focuses on environmental peacebuilding (especially after conflict), environmental governance, adaptation, and environmental emergencies. He has helped dozens of countries- including in many conflict-affected countries-throughout Africa, the Americas, Asia, and Europe strengthen their environmental laws, institutions, and practices. He has edited more than ten books and authored more than 80 journal articles, book chapters, and reports. He is an adjunct professor at American University School of International Service. He holds a JD from the Northwestern School of Environmental Law of Lewis & Clark College, an MA in physics from the University of Texas-Austin, and a BS in physics (with additional majors in mathematics and anthropology) from Michigan State University.
Carroll Muffett is CEO and President of the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL). He is a recognized expert on international environmental law and a leader in the emerging fields of climate litigation and climate-related financial and legal risks. He is co-editor with Carl Bruch and Sandra Nichols of Governance, Natural Resources, and Post-Conflict Peacebuilding (Routledge 2016) for the Environmental Law Institute and the United Nations Environment Programme. He served as lead author along with Carl Bruch and others on the 2022 open letter on the Environmental Dimensions of the Russian Invasion of Ukraine. He serves on the Board of Trustees for the Climate Accountability Institute and the steering committee for the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty, and co-chairs the legal working group of the Global Gas & Oil Network.