Ouranos would like to congratulate Camille Martini, PhD candidate at Université Laval’s Faculty of Law, for being awarded the 2023 Réal Décoste scholarship for his work on using non-binding provisions of the Paris Agreement in the national climate dispute. His research project focuses on the role of the judge in the ecological transition, and more specifically on the jurisdictional processes by which national courts, pressed by civil society, are increasingly invoking the objectives of international law to compensate for shortcomings in climate change mitigation and adaptation policy.
“I would like to sincerely thank the Ouranos hub for innovation and the Fonds de recherche du Québec – Nature et Technologies (FRQNT) for acknowledging my thesis in international climate law at Université Laval, under the direction of Pr. Géraud de Lassus Saint-Geniès. I am particularly moved by this distinction, as it illustrates the relevance of enabling dialogue in the context of a constantly evolving climate. Climate disputes call for dialogue both between the numerous scientific disciplines studying climate change and its impacts, as well as between the scientific community, public decision-makers and society. Through my research project, I am honoured to contribute to Ouranos’s mission of furthering our knowledge of climate change and its impact in Quebec and beyond.” – Camille Martini
Summary of the research project
Worldwide, the number of climate-related court cases doubled between 2017 and 2020. Often initiated by civil society organizations, these legal proceedings play a critical role in encouraging governments to adopt more ambitious policies or even condemn their inaction. Furthermore, certain courts have recently forced governments to take more aggressive measures in accordance with the objectives of the Paris Agreement in order to strengthen the global response to climate change. This includes climate change adaptation capacity, climate change resilience, and maintaining the mean global temperature increase well below 2°C compared to pre-industrial levels. In Canada and especially in Quebec, civil society organizations have filed innovative class action suits on the basis of Quebec’s Charter of Human Rights and Freedoms and the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, though they have yet to result in any convictions.
Mr. Martini’s research work aims to compare the emerging role of judicial bodies in global climate governance. His work will also help generate new data on the emerging phenomenon of climate disputes that can be leveraged by the scientific community, public authorities, and representatives of civil society in Canada and throughout the world in support of mitigation of and adaptation to the adverse effects of climate change. Furthermore, Mr. Martini’s efforts will further cement Quebec’s leadership role in the development of shared knowledge, notably in the humanities as well as climate change and its effects.
