CEENRG Thursday seminars: 'How to blow up an investment treaty: Climate activism and the Energy Charter Treaty'

Speaker: Dr Kyla Tienhaara (Associate Professor and Canada Research Chair in Economy and Environment, Queen’s University)

The Cambridge Centre for Environment, Energy, and Natural Resource Governance (C-EENRG) is hosting a seminar series throughout the 2023- 24 academic year.

The Energy Charter Treaty (ECT) is one of more than 2500 international treaties that protects foreign investment and provides corporations with access to investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS). It has come under fire from climate groups for protecting fossil fuel assets and hindering the energy transition. The ECT now appears to be on the brink of collapse as EU member countries contemplate a mass withdrawal. This presentation will explain the controversy over the agreement and examine the activist campaign to dismantle it. It will conclude with some preliminary thoughts about what the demise of the ECT might mean for the future of the investment regime. Will countries that have deemed the ECT “incompatible with the Paris Agreement” also reconsider their investment treaties with countries in the Global South?

Seminars take place as hybrid meetings (in person seminars in the DAB - David Attenborough Building + online in Zoom) every Thursday (please check precise time as may vary) during the term. Please register online to receive the Zoom link on the day of the seminar. Everyone is welcome!