The nations of the Global North are responding to the climate change emergency with emissions trading schemes and alternative sources of energy. Meanwhile, nations of the Global South, still emerging from historical exploitation under colonialism, face decisions about natural resource use that are, for traditional owners and inhabitants of resource-rich lands, often a matter of life or death. 

Environmental lawyer and legal scholar Arpitha Kodiveri, who presented her book at the event, has worked alongside many of India's forest-dwelling communities and describes how they bear the cost of both rapacious mining development and increasing pressure for forest land to be set aside for environmental conservation. Despite these challenges, Kodiveri shows how the traditional owners and inhabitants of forest areas are driving creative solutions in forest law. Hope can be found here, in each community's unique vision of co-governance, expressed in the language of care and repair.

Stella James, Environmental Lawyer and Social Justice Advocate, Marie Petersmann from the LSE Law School, and Rahul Ranjan from the Department of Geography, University of Edinburgh, participated in the event as discussants. The book launch was moderated by Lys Kulamadayil from Geneva Graduate Institute.

This book launch is co-hosted by the Global Governance Centre

This event is part of the ‘Law by Colour Code: Locating Race and Racism in International Law’ project funded by the Swiss National Sciences Foundation (SNSF)

Watch the full video recording below.