Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards is keynote speaker at Tulane environmental summit

Alina Hernandez ahernandez4@tulane.edu
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Gov. John Bel Edwards is the keynote speaker for the 27th annual Tulane Environmental Law and Policy Summit March 11-12, which this year is themed “Environmental Litigation.”

Louisiana’s governor will speak live from the law school building, Weinmann Hall, from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. March 11, and his speech will be televised live via Zoom. He will speak on Louisiana’s climate initiatives and its recently adopted Climate Action Plan. In-person attendance is limited due to COVID-19 policies.

To view the schedule and register for the Summit, go here. CLE is available.

The governor’s speech will touch on the work of the state’s Climate Initiatives Task Force, an effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the state, which increases temperatures and increasingly is responsible for sea level rise, endangering Louisiana’s coast and people, as well as vital habitats and ecosystems.

The state in January issued its first Climate Action Plan, which lists 28 strategies the state can undertake to address climate change. 

The student-run Summit is one of the largest and most respected conferences at Tulane Law School, and this year will be held remotely via Zoom, allowing even more to participate. It is free and open to the public. It is the oldest student-run environmental conference in the nation.

This year’s event will host experts from numerous fields related to or in environmental law; panels include addressing climate change, hurricanes and disaster relief, the Public Trust Doctrine and environmental law, the decarbonization of the shipping industry, the fight of indigenous communities in climate adaptation strategies, and more. One panel will highlight Tulane’s Vegetation Management Initiative, a new area of study that intersects both environmental and energy law. 

See the full conference schedule here. 

The event is free and open to the public via virtual format. Continuing Legal Education (CLE) credits are offered. For details and to register for CLE, go here.