Track: Roundtable
Augusta Wilson
Climate Science Legal Defense Fund
New York, NY, USA
With climate change impacts becoming more apparent, and with considerable advances in climate attribution science, litigation to hold fossil fuel producers liable for climate-related damages and push lawmakers to adopt urgently needed mitigation and adaptation strategies is becoming more and more prevalent. As a result, there’s increasing demand for scientists with specialized knowledge and communication skills to help judges and juries understand the science underlying climate change and its impacts.
Scientists from numerous disciplines can act as expert witnesses in climate-related cases. While this can be an exciting opportunity to participate in the legal process, the prospect of doing so can be intimidating. And there’s a great deal for scientists to know as the need for their participation in climate litigation expands.
This roundtable discussion, led by an attorney from the Climate Science Legal Defense Fund and based on our organization’s ten years of experience working at the intersection of science and the law, will focus on trends related to the use of science in the growing climate litigation arena.
We will address how science has affected the decisions and outcomes in specific cases and how that has changed over time. We will also cover what this means for scientists who wish to participate in climate cases, what scientists should expect when acting as an expert witness, and advice for working with attorneys.