The ACE Congress, held this year in Toulouse, gave rise to some fascinating debates. After President Raskin's masterful speech, I had the pleasure of taking part in a round-table discussion, perfectly moderated by Anne-Cécile Sarfati, with my colleagues Clémentine Bardon and Xavier Larrouy-Castéra.
We discussed the new roles of the lawyer, from advising on the legal risks associated with corporate publications and climate strategies to assisting in litigation, including for some lawyers a form of "impact" activism, where the law is used as leverage to plead a cause. We discussed the diversity of jurisprudence in climate lawsuits against governments and companies alike, depending on the legal grounds invoked (duty of vigilance, ecological damage, greenwashing).
For my part, I raised the question of the applicability of the law on duty of vigilance to the climate, which is far from proven in view of the text and parliamentary work. Lastly, we discussed the legal activism of NGOs who are committed to blocking renewable energy infrastructure projects, an activism that is directly responsible for our country's lagging behind in this field.
