BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 PRODID:-//Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam//NONSGML v1.0//EN NAME:SDG Academy: Climate Science, Migration and the Law METHOD:PUBLISH BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART:20260527T160000 DTEND:20260527T173000 DTSTAMP:20260527T160000 UID:2026/sdg-academy-climate-scien@8F96275E-9F55-4B3F-A143-836282E12573 CREATED:20260507T152821 LOCATION:Main Building, basement. Room HG KC-18. Green Office De Boelelaan 1105 1081 HV Amsterdam SUMMARY:SDG Academy: Climate Science, Migration and the Law X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:

Climate change is incre asingly driving displacement through sea-level rise, extreme weather events and environmental degradation, often in regions already affect ed by conflict and insecurity. This panel explores how law, policy, a nd international responsibility are evolving in response to the clima te crisis.

Beyond the 2025 ICJ Advisory Opinion

International protection frameworks have not fully adapted t o the reality of climate displacement. Current refugee law was not de signed with climate impacts in mind, leaving many people displaced by environmental harm outside clear legal protection.

However, re cent international developments, most notably the 2025 Advisory Opini on from the International Court of Justice (ICJ), have sparked new di scussion. Can broader legal principles, such as non-refoulement (the rule that states should not return people to serious harm), offer protection in climate-related cases?

In this edition of t he SDG Academy, the Amsterdam Sustainability Institute (ASI) and the Global Migration Hub bring together experts to examine the intersecti on of climate modeling and international law. We will discuss when ad aptation reaches its limits, making displacement unavoidable, and whe ther the "Court has spoken" clearly enough to establish new customary international law.

What do these legal and ecological shifts m ean for the future of international protection and global responsibil ity? Our panel of speakers will provide expert analysis and scientifi c background information.

This SDG Academy wi ll be taking place in-person. For those based in and around Amsterdam , join us at the Green Office VU from 16:00 onwards on May 27th.

DESCRIPTION: Beyond the 2025 ICJ Advisory Opinion Int ernational protection frameworks have not fully adapted to the realit y of climate displacement. Current refugee law was not designed with climate impacts in mind, leaving many people displaced by environment al harm outside clear legal protection. However, recent international developments, most notably the 2025 Advisory Opinion from the Intern ational Court of Justice (ICJ), have sparked new discussion. Can broa der legal principles, such as non-refoulement (the rule that states should not return people to serious harm), offer protection i n climate-related cases? In this edition of the SDG Academy, the Amst erdam Sustainability Institute (ASI) and the Global Migration Hub bri ng together experts to examine the intersection of climate modeling a nd international law. We will discuss when adaptation reaches its lim its, making displacement unavoidable, and whether the "Court has spok en" clearly enough to establish new customary international law. What do these legal and ecological shifts mean for the future of internat ional protection and global responsibility? Our panel of speakers wil l provide expert analysis and scientific background information.
  • Kushagra Pandey (Institute of Environmental Sc iences) will present model-based research on how flooding and sea-lev el rise influence migration decisions, highlighting the point at whic h adaptation reaches its limits and displacement becomes inevitable.< /li>
  • Prof. Elspeth Guild (School of Law) will e xamine the international legal implications of the 2025 advisory opin ion of the International Court of Justice (ICJ), focusing on the prin ciple of non-refoulement and the question of whether climate-related harm now poses a real risk to the right to life under the ICCPR.
  • Prof. Hemme Battjes (Faculty of Law) will offe r a critical response to these developments and situate the discussio n within the historical and current context of European asylum law an d international protection frameworks.
  • The session will be moderated by Dr. Janna Wessels (Amsterdam Center for Migration and Refugee Law), who will guide the panel through the cha nging landscape of policy and international responsibility. These sho rt presentations will be followed by a Q&A session with the audie nce.
This SDG Academy will be taking place in-person. For t hose based in and around Amsterdam, join us at the Green Office VU fr om 16:00 onwards on May 27th. Climate change is increasingly driving displacement through sea-level rise, extreme weather events and envir onmental degradation, often in regions already affected by conflict a nd insecurity. This panel explores how law, policy, and international responsibility are evolving in response to the climate crisis. END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR