Framing Time in Climate Change Litigation

Authors

  • Chris Hilson

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.35295/osls.iisl/0000-0000-0000-1063

Keywords:

Time, Temporality, Framing, Climate Change Litigation, Legal Mobilization

Abstract

Time is of the essence in relation to climate change. However, there have been few studies of how time features as a frame in legal mobilization against climate change. The current article explores temporal framing in a number of high profile climate litigation cases, including Urgenda, Kivalina, Kingsnorth, and the current US Our Children’s Trust proceedings. I argue that there is a tension between a future-looking scientific framing of time and both an environmentalist policy framing of time and a present-based scientific time frame. Under future-looking scientific framing, the effects of dangerous climate change have not yet occurred and remain some way off in the ‘modelled’ future. Under an environmentalist policy time frame, action is needed immediately, now in the present, and with a present scientific time frame climate harm is already happening or is imminent.

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Author Biography

Chris Hilson

Law, Professor of Law

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Published

18-10-2017

How to Cite

Hilson, C. (2017) “Framing Time in Climate Change Litigation”, Oñati Socio-Legal Series, 9(3), pp. 361–379. doi: 10.35295/osls.iisl/0000-0000-0000-1063.