Chennai: An International Conference on Protection of Environment under International Law was held at VIT Chennai, with speakers calling for concrete action to protect the environment for future generations.
Leonardo Nemer Caldeira Brant, Judge International Court of Justice, The Hague, Netherlands, was the Chief Guest and delivered the Valedictory Address in the evening. Dr. G.V. Selvam, Vice President, VIT, presided. Justice R. Suresh Kumar, Judge, Madras High Court, delivered his Special Address.
In his address, Brant said a core objective of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) was to take affirmative action to prevent countries from causing environmental damage. “Every State (country) is expected to take due diligence to prevent harm to the climate system,” he remarked. Tracing the history and evolution of International Environmental Law, climate change laws, and the ICJ’s role, Brant also cited several cases of international disputes among countries over the use of natural resources, environmental damage, and the protection of marine and wildlife.
Dr. G.V. Selvam, who presided over the event, said safeguarding the environment and upholding the law are crucial to protecting the planet tomorrow and in the future. Informed action and responsive international law offer a powerful framework to prevent further environmental damage while fostering sustainable development. “It enables giving legal advice to shared global concerns by bringing together scholars and legal minds,” Dr. G.V. Selvam remarked.
Stating that VIT firmly believed that education should be accompanied by responsibility, Dr. Selvam said that responsibility towards environmental protection should be the duty of every student, adding that everyone at VIT School of Law, especially its students, was committed to this endeavour.
In his Special Address, Justice Mr. R. Suresh Kumar, Judge, Madras High Court, recalled that several attempts had been made to establish a separate international court to address environmental protection exclusively, but nothing had yet fructified.
Prof. T. Thyagarajan, Pro Vice Chancellor, VIT Chennai, Prof. Dr. C. Rabbiraj, Dean, VIT School of Law also took part in the event.
