Law in a hyperconnected world – joining the dots for a sustainable future
Dates: 13 Jul - 14 Jul 2023
Jointly organised by:
SMU Yong Pung How School of Law; Sydney Law School, University of Sydney; and Faculty of Law, University of Hong Kong
Guest-of Honour:
Professor Tommy Koh, Singapore Ambassador-at-Large
Our planet faces social-ecological disruption at a scale with no parallels in human history. As societies,economies and the environment are inextricably linked, it makes no sense to regulate each of these systems in isolation. Various global reports, such as the United Nations’ Environment Program’s Making Peace with Nature, the Joint report on biodiversity and climate of the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services, and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, all highlight the failure of governance systems to address interconnected global challenges in a holistic manner. The reports also highlight the perverse outcomes that result from the lack of integrated approaches.
With all of the above in mind, it is critical that new forms of laws and regulation, governance, societal organisation, communication, and the transfer of ideas and capital are taken into account when aiming to address sustainability. Laws at the international, transnational and domestic level are, however, currently ill-equipped to address the hyperconnected challenges of today, and do not sufficiently anticipate the emerging risks and opportunities of the future. It is to this gap that this Conference seeks to contribute.