Contributions to Conferences

• National Museum of Contemporary Art Athens EMST, Symposium «Why Look at Animals?», Athens, March 28-29, 2026, presenting Pillars of Robust Interspecies Governance: Retrofitting Democratic Institutions
• Hans Sigrist Symposium: Climate Justice: Scientific, Ethical, and Legal Dimension, University of Bern, Dec.5, 2025, presenting Climate Law and Litigation as New Sites of Denialism? Taxonomizing the Implementation of KlimaSeniorinnen et al. v. Switzerland (together with Corina Heri & Arevik Avedian)
• 2. Berner Klimarechtstagung, «Klimaschutz und graue Emissionen», University of Bern, Oct. 30, 2025, presenting Graue Emissionen im Schweizer Recht: Suche nach einer umfassenden CO₂-Gesetzgebung
• 25^th Swiss Global Change Day, April 9, 2025, Bern, presenting Case of KlimaSeniorinnen Schweiz and Others v. Switzerland, Application no. 53600/20, April 9, 2024
• 2^nd Swiss Climate Summer School, Oeschger Centre for Climate Change Research (OCCR), ‘Climate Change: From the Dawn of the Anthropocene to Options for the Future’, Sept. 1-6, 2024, Grindelwald, organization of workshop Climate, Policy and Society: Climate Change and Law (together with Dr. Laurie Durel)
• GRC Visit, OCCR (Oeschger Centre for Climate Change Research), 31 May 2024​, presenting The Role of Interdisciplinary Science in Climate Litigation (together with Prof. Christoph Raible)
• Animal Research Ethics & Law (AREL) Workshop​, Institute for Biomedical Ethics (IBMB), University of Basel​, May 30, 2024​, presenting The Law on Animal Research in Theory and Practice: Lessons from Switzerland
• Workshop ‘Animals in Political Decision-Making’, Université de Lausanne, May 29, 2024​, presenting From Constitutional Animal Law Toward Interspecies Constitutionalizing​
• Reparation for Climate Change: The Possibilities and Limits of Litigation​, University of Zurich, Apr. 11-12, 2024, presenting Assessing Legal Remedies in the Case KlimaSeniorinnen et al. v. Switzerland
• Animal Scales Series, UCL Anthropocene, Goldsmiths University, London, Mar. 21, 2024, presenting Animal Scales: Scale Global
• UCS’ Science Hub Webinar Series; Science in the Courtroom, Jan. 16, 2024, presenting Mediating the Science-Law Interface in Court: Third Party Intervention in the Climate Seniors Case
• Society of Legal Scholars (SLS) Annual Seminar, “The Animal Welfare (Sentience) Act 1 Year On,” Newcastle University, June 22-23, 2023, presenting Four Decades of Recognizing Animal Sentience: Challenging or Feeding Institutional Denialism?
• OCCR Plenary Meeting Spring 2023, University of Bern, Feb. 14, 2023, presenting Lending Expertise to the Court: Third Party Intervention in the Climate Seniors Case
• Extraterritorial Human Rights Obligations in Practice, Scientific Research Network – Research Foundation Flanders (W002420N), Expert meeting on the justification of extraterritorial human rights obligations, Oct. 20-21, 2022, Brussels, presenting Jurisdiction in the Extraterritorial Context beyond International Human Rights Law
• Tom Regan Memorial Lecture, Oct. 17, 2022, presenting Transitional Justice and Animal Rights
• University of Bern, Bern, Workshop “Law & Sustainable Development”, Sept. 23, 2022, presenting Animals and Sustainable Development
• Workshop “Decolonial Interspecies Justice”, Antioch University New England, Keene NH, Sept. 3, 2022, presenting The Transformative Take on Transitional Interspecies Justice
• Ursula Brunner Workshop, Rechtswissenschaftliche Fakultät UZH Zürich, May 17, 2022, presenting Socia-Media-Projekt der Rechtswissenschaftlichen Fakultät der Universität Bern
• Climate Youth Summit, UZH Irchel, Zürich, Apr. 2, 2022, presenting Climate Change and Human Rights Law
• Sustainability Week Basel, Lecture Series: Economics, Law and Climate Change, Mar. 24, 2022, presenting Climate Change and Human Rights Law
• University of Helsinki, Aniwere Seminar Series, Feb. 23, 2022, presenting Global Animal Law: A Critical Evaluation of the What, Why, and How
• Info-Abend zur Primateninitiative, Jan. 19, 2022, Vortragstitel: Rechtliche Aspekte der Forderung nach Primatengrundrechten
• Nonhuman Rights Project, Dec. 19, 2021, presenting Switzerland’s Historic Primate Rights Initiative
• DVG-Vet-Congress, Berlin, Nov. 19, 2021, presenting Protecting Animals Within and Across Borders: Extraterritorial Jurisdiction and the Challenges of Globalization
• Max Planck Institute for Comparative Public Law and International Law & Harvard Law School, Animal Law & Policy Program, Workshop “Global Animal Law”, Nov. 12-13, 2021, presenting Transitional Justice and Animal Law
• Just Livestock Transition: A Game-Changing Solution to Food System Crisis, organized 50by40, Sept. 21, 2021, presenting On the Historical Emergence and Conceptual Justification of Just Transition
• OCCR Plenary Meeting Autumn 2021, University of Bern, Sept. 15, 2021, presenting Just Transition Beyond Coal: Exploring New Transformative Potential to Curb Climate Change
• Rottendorf Symposium 2021: Solidarity with Animals, LMU Munich, Sept. 3-4, 2021, presenting Solidarity as a Bridge toward Interspecies Justice? The Role of Law and Legal Theory
• EurSafe Conference 2021: Justice and Food Security in a Changing Climate, University of Fribourg,  June 24-26, 2021, presenting Food Security and Symbolic Legislation in Switzerland: A False Sense of Security? (together with Odile Ammann)
• EurSafe Conference 2021: Justice and Food Security in a Changing Climate, University of Fribourg, June 24-26, 2021, presenting Animals and Climate Change (together with Eva Meijer)
• Roundtable on Animal Labour in a Multispecies Society: A Social Justice Issue? May 1, 2021, hosted by the Global Research Network (GRN) Think Tank, held online, input comments on the status of working animals, labour rights and protections for working animals, relation to legal personhood, and human-animal labour as a potential site of interspecies justice
• Midwest Political Science Association (MPSA), held online, Apr. 15, 2021, response to critics’ comments
• 1st International Human and Animal Rights Law Moot Court Competition, held online, Dec. 10, 2020, presenting The Interconnectedness of Racism and Speciesism in Animal Law
• Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, derecho Animal, Webinar Series on “Coronavirus and Animals. The human-animal relationship in pandemic society,” Barcelona, July 15, 2020, presenting From Zoonosis to Zoopolis
• Institute for Public Law, University of Bern, Bern CH, June 25, 2020, presenting Global Migration Crises, Non-human Animals, and the Role of Law
• Cambridge University, Faculty of Law, Cambridge UK, Mar. 3, 2020, presenting On the Ubiquity of Human-Animal Conflict and What Transitional Justice Can Contribute to Its Resolution
• Dutch Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality, Accelerating the Transition towards Animal-Free Innovations: Pioneer-2-Policymaker Conference, Utrecht Science Park, Utrecht, Nov. 27-29, 2019, presenting Task Force on Just Transition in Research
• Harvard Animal Law & Policy Program, Harvard Law School, Cambridge MA, Nov. 18, 2019, presenting Protecting Animals Within and Across Borders, discussion with Prof. Kristen Stilt
• Animals & Society Research Initiative, University of Victoria, Victoria BC, Nov. 14, 2019, presenting Climate Emergency, Migration Crisis, and Interspecies Resilience
• Schulich School of Law, Dalhousie University, Canadian Animal Law Conference, Halifax NB, Oct. 4-6, 2019, presenting Drafting Principles of Transitional Justice for a Postconflict Interspecies Society
• St. Edmund’s College and Cambridge Centre for Animal Rights Law, European Animal Rights Law Conference, Cambridge UK, Sept. 14-5, 2019, presenting The Swiss Primate Case – A Stroke of Luck or Justice in Action?
• MANCEPT Workshops, University of Manchester, “Just Animals? The Future of the Political Turn in Animal Ethics,” Manchester UK, Sept. 9-11, 2019, presenting Animal Labor – Ecosystem Services
• Münchner Kompetenzzentrum Ethik (LMU), “Animal Experimentation: Working Towards a Paradigm Change,” Munich, Jun. 14, 2019, presenting Paradigmenwechsel mit oder ohne 3R? Eine rechtliche Analyse
• Canadian Law and Society Organization (CLSA), Annual Conference, panel “Shifting the Anthropocentric Violence of Canadian Liberal Legalism through Relationality, Redress and Reconciliation: Moving toward Harmonious Interspecies Relations,” Vancouver, Jun. 4, 2019, presenting Drafting Principles of Transitional Justice for a Postconflict Interspecies Society
• Harvard Law School, Animal Law and Policy Workshop, Cambridge MA, Apr. 23, 2019, presenting Animal Agriculture and Farmers’ Rights: A Human Rights Perspective (together with Odile Ammann)
• Queen’s University, Kingston Interspecies Community (KISC) research group workshop, Kingston ON, Mar. 22, 2019, presenting Animal Agency in Community: A Political Multispecies Ethnography of VINE Sanctuary (together with Sue Donaldson & Ryan Wilcox)
• University of Guelph, Ontario Veterinary College, 19th Annual OVC Animal Welfare Forum, Guelph ON, Oct. 11, 2018, presenting Animal Law: Status Quo, Limits, and Remedies
• Queen’s University, Ban Righ Centre, Ban Righ Speaker Series, Kingston ON, Oct. 12, 2018, presenting Animals, the Forgotten Proletariat
• Oxford University, Animal Ethics Summer School “Animal Ethics and Law: Creating Positive Change for Animals,” Oxford, Jul. 22-25, 2018, presenting Secondary Victimization of Animals in Criminal Procedure: The Example of Switzerland
• Tier-im-Fokus Vortragsreihe, Polit-Forum Bern im Käfigturm, Bern, Jun. 11, 2018, presenting Von der Nutztierhaltung zur Zoopolis
• Joint Meeting of the American Law and Society Organization (LSA) and Canadian Law and Society Organization (CLSA), Annual Meeting on Law and Society “Law at the Crossroads: Le droit à la coisée des chemins,” panel “Animals, Law and Subjectivity,” Toronto, Jun. 8, 2018, presenting Connecting Alienated Labour: Should Non-human Animals Have a Right to Work?
• Queen’s University, Workshop “Animal Labour: Ethical, Legal and Political Perspectives on Recognizing Animals’ Work,” Kingston ON, May 18, 2018, presenting Animal Workplace Democracy: Developing a Praxis of Self-Determination
• Queen’s University, Philosophy Colloquium, Kingston ON, Mar. 15, 2018, presenting “Animals Are (Forced) Workers, too” – Individual and Collective Self-determination of Working Animals
• Brock University, “Thinking About Animals,” St. Catharines ON (Mar. 1-2, 2018), Mar. 1, 2018, presenting Advocating for Animal Labour in an Age of Capitalism: A Paradox?
• Minding Animals International, Mexico City (Jan. 17-24, 2018), Jan. 18, 2018, presenting The Promise and Pitfalls of Treating Animals as Workers: Animal Labor from a Legal, Ethical and Political Perspective
• British Animal Studies Network, Southampton UK, Oct. 6-7, 2017, presenting The Achilles Heel of Animal Labour: Are Farm Animals Workers?
• European Society of International Law, “Interest Group on Feminism,” Naples, Italy, Sept. 6, 2017, presenting Blind Spots of Global Animal Law: What Can Feminist Care Theory Teach Us? (together with Odile Ammann)
• European Society of International Law, “Interest Group on International Environmental Law,” Naples, Italy, Sept. 6, 2017, presenting Water-Energy-Food Nexus: Animal Agriculture and Farmer Rights in the Light of International Human Rights Law (together with Odile Ammann)
• 10th World Congress on Alternatives and Animal Use in the Life Sciences, Seattle WA, Aug. 20-24, 2017, presenting Can Harm-Benefit Analyses Mature into Less Structurally Biased Concepts to Meet Societal Demands for Replacement?
• TEDxBasel, Basel, Jun. 11, 2017, 3 minute pop up talk Animals Are Workers, Too
• Ontario Ministry of Community Safety & Correctional Services, “Animal Welfare Symposium,” Toronto, May 15-6, 2017, presenting Law on Exotics in Comparative Perspective
• Harvard Law School, “Harvard Workshop on Animal Agriculture from the Middle East to Asia,” Cambridge MA, May 11-12, 2017, presenting Tackling Concentrated Animal Agriculture in the Middle East through Standards of Investment, Export Credits, and Trade
• Pace University, “Animal Law Conference,” New York NY, Oct. 7-9, 2016, presenting Animal Law Beyond Borders: Terra Incognita
• Animal Law Review Symposium, Lewis & Clark Law School, Portland OR, Mar. 11, 2016, presenting An Assessment of Recent Trade Law Developments from an Animal Law Perspective – With a Focus on the GATT, the TBT, and the SPS
• Effective Altruism Foundation, University of Basel, “Effective Altruism Global X,” Sept. 5, 2015, presenting Effective Altruism in Legal Scholarship (With a Focus on Animal Law)
• The International Society of Public Law ICON-S Conference 2015, “Public Law in an Uncertain World,” NYU, New York NY, Jul. 1-3, 2015, presenting the paper How Animal Law Formed at the Intersection of International Public and Trade Law Brings about Institutional Change
• Arbeitskreis junger Völkerrechtlerinnen, “International Law and Domestic Law-Making Processes,” University of Basel, Basel, Sept. 4, 2015, presenting the poster The Paradoxical Contribution of Trade Law to the Formation of Global Animal Law: The Sheep in the Wolf’s Clothing?
• Stiftung Bündnis Mensch & Tier, Messerli Research Institute, University of Vienna, Interdisciplinary PhD/PostDoc Conference, “The Human-Animal Bond,” University of Vienna, Vienna, Jul. 18-19, 2014, presenting my dissertation project
• Interdisciplinary, 1st Global Conference “Making Sense of: The Animal and Human Bond,” Oxford, Jul. 13-15, 2014, presenting the chapter 3R for Farmed Animals – A Legal Argument for Consistency

Blogposts

• Julia Gallmeier, Charlotte E. Blattner, Mathilde Dupré, Dalila Karic, Yamina Saheb, Evelyne Schmid & Julia Steinberger, La Suisse et le traité sur la Charte de l’énergie : au cœur de tensions climatiques et géopolitiques, de facto, May 12, 2026, link
• Julia Gallmeier, Charlotte E. Blattner, Mathilde Dupré, Dalila Karic, Yamina Saheb, Evelyne Schmid & Julia Steinberger, Der Energiecharta-Vertrag und die Schweiz: Ein Verbleib im Spannungsfeld von Klimaverpflichtungen und geopolitischem Wandel, de facto, May 12, 2026, link
• Corina Heri, Charlotte E. Blattner & Tobias Cadalbert, Another Brick in the Wall of KlimaSeniorinnen: The Committee of Ministers’ September 2025 Monitoring Decision, EJIL:Talk! Oct. 6, 2025, link
• Charlotte E. Blattner, Robert Finger & Karin Ingold, Schweizer Landwirte und Landwirtinnen schliessen sich als Kläger der Bekämpfung des globalen Klimawandels an, Agrarpolitik-Blog, March 11, 2025, link
• Charlotte E. Blattner, Warum das KlimaSeniorinnen-Urteil nicht undemokratisch ist: Anmerkungen zu einer Schweizer Debatte, Verfassungsblog, June 25, 2024, link
• Charlotte E. Blattner, Separation of Powers and KlimaSeniorinnen, Verfassungsblog, Apr. 30, 2024, link
• Charlotte E. Blattner, Beyond Territoriality: Symposium on Jurisdictional “Hooks” for (Extraterritorial) Human Rights Obligations – Post Agostinho Learning Moments for Extraterritorial Jurisdiction in Human Rights Law, Using a Public International Law Perspective, Opinio Juris, Apr. 30, 2024, link
• Charlotte E. Blattner, Human Rights and Climate Change, Klima&Recht, Sept. 1, 2021, link
• Charlotte E. Blattner, Impacts of Climate Change, Klima&Recht, Sept. 1, 2021, link
• Charlotte E. Blattner, Climate and Climate Change, Klima&Recht, Sept. 1, 2021, link
• Charlotte E. Blattner, Just Transition in Agriculture, Klima&Recht, October 29, 2021, link
• Charlotte E. Blattner, «Race to the top» – Juristische Betrachtungen zur Situation der Internationalen Tierrechte, Bundeszentrale für politische Bildung (BPB), Nov. 11, 2020, link
• Charlotte E. Blattner, Von der Zoonose zur Zoopolis – wieso wir unseren Umgang mit Tieren ändern müssen, Tier im Fokus (TiF), Sept. 29, 2020, link
• Raffael Fasel & Charlotte E. Blattner, Swiss Court Rules Citizens Allowed to Vote on Primate Rights, blog post for the Nonhuman Rights Project (NhRP), Mar. 22, 2019, link
• Raffael Fasel, Charlotte E. Blattner, Meret Schneider & Sophie Kwass, The Swiss Citizens’ Initiative for Primate Rights Goes to Court, blog post for the Nonhuman Rights Project (NhRP), Apr. 2, 2018, link
• Raffael Fasel, Charlotte E. Blattner, Adriano Mannino & Tobias Baumann, Fundamental Rights for Primates: Policy Paper by Sentience Politics, Effective Altruism Foundation (EAF) 2016 1- 22 (peer-reviewed), link
• Charlotte E. Blattner, Hope beyond Illusion: Global Animal Law, Verfassungsblog: On Matters Constitutional 2014, link
• Charlotte E. Blattner, Cognitive Biases in the Law, blog post for the Giordano Bruno Foundation (GBS) 2014 (peer-reviewed), link
• Charlotte E. Blattner, Animal Law from an Inter-national Perspective, blog post for the Giordano Bruno Foundation (GBS) 2014, link
• Charlotte E. Blattner, Do Animals Need Rights?, blog post for the Giordano Bruno Foundation (GBS) 2014, link

Interviews

• Universität Bern, Uniaktuell, Climate protection in the gray area, Oct. 21, 2025 (interviewed by Martin Blattner-Zimmermann), link
• Rechtsfolge, Klimaschutz, Recht und die KlimaSeniorinnen, Sept. 17, 2024 (interviewed by Lara Hitz), link
• Ganz offen gesagt, Sind Tiere das neue Proletariat? June 21, 2023 (interviewed by Solmaz Khorsand)
• Tierwelt, «Staaten konkurrieren um tiefsten Tierschutz», June 24, 2021, p. 32-33 (interviewed by Niklaus Salzmann)
• The Green Link, The Limits of Traditional Legislative, Judicial, and Enforcement Mechanisms of Swiss Constitutional and Administrative Law in the Wake of Climate Change, May 27, 2021 (interviewed by Ishaan Bharadwaj), link
• Theater Basel, Alte Billettkasse, Rough Love: Erzählen mit Tauben & Geschätzte Tiere – Wildtier-Mensch Nachbar*innenschaft, Apr. 4, 2021 (discussion with Daniel Küry, Seraina Dür, Jonas Gillmann & Nicole Schuck), link
• Die Republik, «Wo es Tieren schlecht geht, geht es oft auch den Menschen schlecht» – Unser Umgang mit Tieren heizt die Klimakrise an und erhöht das Risiko von Pandemien. Was tun? Die Juristin Charlotte Blattner macht einige überraschende Lösungsvorschläge, Oct. 16, 2020 (interviewed by Flavia von Gunten), link
• Das Magazin, “Tier- und Menschenrechte gehören zusammen” – Die Juristin Charlotte E. Blattner erklärt, was Massentierhaltung mit Corona zu tun hat, Aug. 15, 2020 (interviewed by Gaby Baldinger), link
• Queen’s University, “The Animal Turn” Podcast, Kingston ON, Extraterritorial Jurisdiction, Apr. 10, 2020 (interviewed by Claudia Hirtenfelder), link
• University of Bern, Uniaktuell, Tierrechte: Eine fundamentale Frage der Gerechtigkeit, Nov. 26, 2020 (interviewed by Lisa Fankhauser), link
• Johns Hopkins University, “Animals in Research: Law, Policy, and Humane Sciences,” Baltimore MD, Protecting Animals Within and Across Borders, Jan. 27, 2020 (interviewed by Kathrin Herrmann)
• Grad Chat Queen’s University, Animal Labour, May 15, 2018 (interviewed by Colette Steer), link
• Grad Chat Queen’s University, Animal Labour, Dec. 5, 2017 (interviewed by Colette Steer), link
• Knowing Animals, Episode 53: The 3Rs with Charlotte Blattner, Nov. 20, 2017 (interviewed by Siobhan O’Sullivan), link

Media appearance

• Swissinfo, Einst Verursacherin, jetzt Opfer des Klimawandels: Die Landwirtschaft sucht nach Gerechtigkeit, Apr. 21, 2025 (article by Luigi Jorio), link
• Le temps, Jugement de la CourEDH, une mise au point, Apr. 23, 2024 (guest article with Claus Beisbart, Véronique Boillet, Andreas Fischlin, Thomas Frölicher, Martin Grosjean, Corina Heri, Fortunat Joos, Helen Keller, Jörg Künzli, Christoph Raible, Evelyne Schmid, Sonia Seneviratne, Thomas Stocker, Ana Vicedo-Cabrera, Ralph Winkler and Judith Wyttenbach),link
• Republik, Gastbeitrag Ein Urteil geht um die Welt, Apr. 22, 2024 (guest article with Claus Beisbart, Véronique Boillet, Andreas Fischlin, Thomas Frölicher, Martin Grosjean, Corina Heri, Fortunat Joos, Helen Keller, Jörg Künzli, Christoph Raible, Evelyne Schmid, Sonia Seneviratne, Thomas Stocker, Ana Vicedo-Cabrera, Ralph Winkler and Judith Wyttenbach), link
• AFP, Swiss Climate Policy in Spotlight after Court Ruling, Apr. 15, 2024, link
• The Guardian, Human Rights Violated by Swiss Inaction on Climate, ECHR Rules in Landmark Case, Apr. 9, 2024 (article by Ajit Niranjan), link
• The Guardian, ‘We Have a Responsibility’: The Older Women Suing Switzerland to Demand Climate Action, Dec. 27, 2023 (article by Ajit Niranjan), link
• Echo der Zeit, Klimaschutz und Subventionen: Braucht es Reformen? Oct. 30, 2023, link
• Die Zeit, «Was ist gut für diese Affen?», 3. Februar 2022, 16-17 (article by Sarah Jäggi),link
• Swissinfo, «Aus ethischer Perspektive sind Tierversuche längst umstritten», Jan. 5, 2022, (article by Flavia von Gunten), link
• Laurie Theurer et al., 50 Amazing Swiss Women: True Stories You Should Know About, “Charlotte Blattner”, S. 34-35 (Bergli Books 2021), link
• UniPress, Welche Rechte haben Tiere? Nov. 2021, 39 (article by Charlotte E. Blattner), link
• Sempacher Woche, «Heute müssen wir uns fragen: Was wollen Tiere eigentlich.», Jun. 10, 2021 (article by Geri Wyss)
• Swiss Revue, Auf Augenhöhe mit Affen, Apr. 2021 (article by Jürg Steiner), link
• Deutschlandrundfunk, Klima, Tiere, Zoonosen: Welche Verantwortung der Mensch für die Corona-Pandemie trägt, Mar. 30, 2021 (article by Laura Eßlinger), link
• NZZ Video, Mastschwein, Affe, Elefant: Was wäre, wenn auch Tiere Grundrechte hätten? Jan. 11, 2021 (by Sabrina Weiss), link
• Animal Rights Scholar Wins Prize for Outstanding Women Researchers, Swissinfo.ch, Oct. 21, 2020, link
• Marie Heim-Vögtlin-Preis geht an Charlotte Blattner, Landwirtschaftlicher Informationsdienst, Oct. 21, 2020, link
• Tierschutz in einer globalisierten Welt: Charlotte Blattner erhält den diesjährigen Marie Heim-Vögtlin-Preis, Vet Magazin, Oct. 21, 2020, link
• Marie Heim-Vögtlin-Preis geht an Charlotte Blattner, Bauernzeitung, Oct. 21, 2020, link
• Une juriste récompensée pour son travail sur la protection des animaux, 20minutes, Oct. 21, 2020, Link
• Protéger les animaux dans un monde globalisé, Agri Hebdomadaire Professionnel, Oct. 21, 2020, Link
• SRF Club, “Nach Tiger-Attacke: Warum braucht es Zoos?” July 14, 2020 (Moderiert von Peter Hossli), Link
• Victoria Shroff, Animal Law Teaching: Conferences Growing around the Globe, The Lawyer’s Daily, Oct. 23, 2019, link
• Charlotte E. Blattner & Raffael Fasel, Grundrechte für Primaten in Basel? commentary, Tagesanzeiger, Oct. 15, 2019
• Marshal Zeringue, The Page 99 Test, Jun. 25, 2019, link
• Brandon Keim, Nonhuman Workers of the World, Unite! Humans and Nature, Apr. 3, 2018, link
• 19th Annual Animal Welfare Forum Sees Another Success, The Ontarion, Nov. 1, 2018, link

Conference organization

Climate Protection and Grey Emissions: 2nd Climate Law Conference at University of Bern

The international dimensions of Switzerland’s climate protection efforts are increasingly becoming the subject of public debate. On paper, Switzerland has succeeded in continuously reducing its per capita emissions over the past few decades, even falling below the OECD average. At the same time, import-related emissions remain at a high level. This suggests that greenhouse gas emissions are hardly being reduced on average, but rather that the problem is being shifted (“leakage”). This raises the question of how to address “grey emissions,” “embedded carbon,” “scope 3 emissions,” and similar types of emissions – that is, emissions associated with upstream and downstream processes of consumption, recycling, and disposal – from both political and legal perspectives. Conversely, Switzerland is increasingly relying on offsetting projects abroad to meet its mitigation obligations under the Paris Agreement. What is the status of the legal requirements, the admissibility, and the desirability of these measures? And to what extent are offsetting projects compatible with the simultaneous displacement of CO₂ emissions?

Speakers:

• Prof. Dr. Charlotte Blattner, Centre de droit public, University of Lausanne
• Dr. Reto Burkard, Deputy Director of the Federal Office for the Environment, Head of the Climate Division
• Michèle Egger, Sustainability Consultant
• Prof. Dr. Ilaria Espa, Università della Svizzera Italiana, Lugano, and World Trade Institute (WTI), University of Bern
• Prof. Dr. Thomas Frölicher, Institute of Physics and Oeschger Center for Climate Research, University of Bern
• Georg Klingler, Environmental Scientist and Ethicist, Greenpeace
• Christina Meier, Head of Sustainability, SBB
• Dr. Axel Michaelowa, Head of Research “International Climate Policy,” University of Zurich
• Prof. Dr. Sebastian Oberthür, Brussels School of Governance, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, and University of Eastern Finland
• Prof. Dr. Anthony Patt, Department of Environmental Systems Science, Climate Policy Lab, ETH Zurich
• Lukas Rühli, Senior Fellow at Avenir Suisse
• Katrin Schneeberger, Director of the Federal Office for the Environment
• Dr. Yona Silvy, Institute of Physics and Oeschger Center for Climate Research, University of Bern

The conference took place at the University of Bern on October 30, 2026. For more information, check out the conference flyer and the program.

 

 

Climate Change and Subsidies: What Reforms Are Needed?

Switzerland is dedicated to achieving net zero by 2050. Thus far, little attention has been paid to subsidies in the climate law debate, especially in domestic law contexts. Are reforms to subsidy practices and the broader state incentive structure necessary to achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement? How should these be designed and what legal, economic, political, behavioral, and other premises need to be taken into account? This conference is intended to provide a platform for such questions by, on the one hand, discussing the compatibility of the current subsidy orientation of the Swiss federal government, cantons and municipalities with limiting global warming. On the other hand, the conference focuses on the design of specific subsidies to protect the climate – for example in the areas of renewable energies, mobility, and agriculture. The event is aimed at a broadly interested audience from academia, practice, and politics and comprises two parts: A morning of plenary lectures and an afternoon of interdisciplinary workshops where specific issues will be explored in depth in smaller groups.

The conference is organized by the Institute of Public Law (Charlotte Elisabeth Blattner, Peter Bieri, Judith Wyttenbach and Markus Kern) and the Oeschger Center for Climate Change Research (OCCR) of the University of Bern.

The one-day conference took place on October 20, 2023 at the University of Bern, UniS, S003. See further the flyer for the event and the detailed program.

Speakers:

• Prof. Dr. Regina Betz (Professor of Energy and Environmental Economics, Zurich University of Applied Sciences (ZHAW), School of Management and Law, Center for Energy and Environment)
• Dr. Patrick Dümmler (Head of Research and Member of the Executive Board, Avenir Suisse)
• Prof. Dr. Alexander Erath (Professor of Transport and Mobility, University of Applied Sciences Northwestern Switzerland)
• Prof. Dr. Karin Ingold (Professor at the Institute of Political Science (IPW), Chair of Policy Analysis and Environmental Governance (PEGO), University of Bern)
• Dr. Anne Greinus (Managing Director and Partner of Infras)
• Prof. Dr. Alain Griffel (Professor of Constitutional and Administrative Law with a focus on Spatial Planning, Construction and Environmental Law, University of Zurich)
• Prof. Dr. Martin Föhse (Partner Kellerhals Carrard and lecturer at the University of St. Gallen)
• Dr. Silvia Banfi Frost (Energy Officer, City of Zurich, Department of Industrial Operations)
• Dominic Hofstetter (Managing Director of the TransCap initiative, co-initiator and board member of Expedition Zukunft)
• Dr. Almut Kirchner (Director and Partner Prognos)
• Prof. Dr. Andreas Lienhard (Professor of Constitutional and Administrative Law, Institute of Public Law and Competence Center for Public Management (KPM), University of Bern)
• Dr. Dr. Stefan Mann (ETH Zurich, Department of Environmental Sciences; Head of the Department of Socioeconomics Agroscope)
• Beat Messerli (lawyer, employee of the legal service of the city of Thun)
• Prof. Dr. Felix Schläpfer (Professor and Head of Empirical Economic Research, Kalaidos University of Applied Sciences)
• Prof. Dr. Thomas Stocker (Professor of Climate and Environmental Physics, Institute of Physics and Oeschger Center for Climate Research, University of Bern)
• Prof. Dr. Philippe Thalmann (Associate Professor of the Economics of the Natural and Built Environment, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne)

 

Animal Labour: Ethical, Legal and Political Perspectives on Recognizing Animals’ Work

Queen’s University, Workshop “Animal Labour: Ethical, Legal and Political Perspectives on Recognizing Animals’ Work,” The Tett Centre for Creativity and Learning, Kingston ON, May 18-19, 2018

Co-organized with Will Kymlicka and Kendra Coulter, sponsored by the Animals in Philosophy, Politics, Law, and Ethics research group (APPLE) at Queen’s University and the Humane Jobs Initiative at Brock University (11 speakers; 40 participants).