Past seminars

Seminar: «Climate Change, National Security Law, and International Trade Law»

Download as PDF (PDF, 118 KB)

Short Description
The past half century has been marked by an unprecedented expansion of international trade. At the same time, the hypothesis that the rise in average global temperatures (climate change) is largely human-induced has become the scientific consensus since the 1990s. More recently, the U.S. under President Joe Biden denoted climate considerations as an essential element of U.S. national security, just after the Trump Administration used national security as a basis for putting tariffs on products from around the world. The present moment provides an opportunity to examine just how these three themes converge and diverge. Will we see an increased reliance on national security tools in the trade space to deal with climate change concerns, for example? This seminar aims to shed light on the intersections between the laws of climate change, national security, and international trade.
The seminar will be co-taught by Professor Kathleen Claussen, University of Miami School of Law & Visiting Professor at University of Zurich Faculty of Law, and Professor Johannes Reich, University of Zurich Faculty of Law.

Kathleen Claussen is Associate Professor at the University of Miami School of Law and Non-Resident Senior Fellow at the Georgetown Institute of International Economic Law.  She is the author of more than 30 articles and essays concerning trade, investment, and international dispute settlement, among other related research areas.  Among other leadership roles, she serves on the Executive Council and Executive Committee of the American Society of International Law and as co-Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of International Economic Law.  Prior to joining the academy, Professor Claussen was Associate General Counsel at the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR).  Earlier in her career, she was Legal Counsel at the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague covering disputes between countries and investment law arbitrations.  She is a graduate of the Yale Law School, Queen’s University Belfast where she was a Mitchell Scholar, and Indiana University where she was a Wells Scholar.

U.S. Trade Policy – from Trump to Biden

Public lecture by Professor Kathleen Claussen, given on 8 December 2021, 12.15 noon – 1.30 p.m., at the University of Zurich (Webcast/Video Recording)