The 2^nd World Environmental Law Congress will assess the role of environmental law in light of the critical ecological crises that we all face. This high-level event will be held at the Supreme Court of the State of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil from Monday, March 23 through Friday, March 27, 2020. 

The general theme of the Congress is Environmental Law 2030 and Beyond. The focus on the future and connection with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is an innovative look forward to the next decades of the legal discipline. The theme is also a departure from the common approach in previous events to reflect primarily on past or present developments and issues.

WCEL will invite papers on how environmental law addresses critical topics including legal tools to achieve a sustainable urban environment, the biodiversity and ocean crises, the ethical challenges of synthetic biology and geoengineering, innovative remedies from environmental courts and tribunals, and legal procedures that enhance the environmental rule of law.

WCEL and its partners will convene four related back-to-back events. Each event will offer a different perspective on the primary issues environmental law will address in the coming decades:

• The Global Institute of Prosecutors for the Environment (GIPE) will host the 1^st GIPE Conference on Environmental Law on Wednesday, March 25.
• The Organization of American States (OAS) will organize an Inter-American Environmental Rule of Law and Justice Colloquium on Wednesday, March 25.
• The Global Judicial Institute on the Environment (GJIE) will host the 1^st GJIE Conference on Environmental Law on Thursday, March 26.
• The IUCN World Commission on Environmental Law and partners will host the 2^nd World Environmental Law Congress from Friday, March 27 through Sunday, March 29.

The events will welcome around 400 invited participants from around the world including law professors, attorneys, judges, legislators, prosecutors, intergovernmental organizations, multilateral financial institutions, non-governmental organizations, and the private sector, as well as scientific and policy experts from related disciplines.

Registration fees will be waived for WCEL members and priority registration will be given to authors of papers selected for presentation. Additional information including pre-registration and the call for papers will be sent in the next few weeks.