Climate action under pressure?
Is the new geopolitical reality obstructing climate progress? In collaboration with Poul Schmith/Kammeradvokaten, we invite you to a conference where, among others, Minister for European Affairs Marie Bjerre, former EU Commissioner Connie Hedegaard, MEP Kira Marie Peter-Hansen, and Professor Katherine Richardson will debate this very question. In addition, leading experts—including Professor Silke Goldberg of the University of Groningen and Professor Ole Windahl Pedersen of the Faculty of Law, Aarhus University—will discuss their perspectives on developments and trends in climate regulation and climate litigation in Denmark and other European countries.
About the Conference
The publication of the book “Climate Law – from a Danish Perspective” will be marked on 29 January 2026 from 3:00 to 6:00 p.m. with a conference at which Minister for European Affairs Marie Bjerre, former EU Commissioner Connie Hedegaard, and MEP Kira Marie Peter-Hansen, together with leading international and national researchers in the field of climate law, will present their perspectives on the status of climate law in Denmark and the EU.
The conference brings together students, practitioners, researchers, and decision-makers for an afternoon of insight and debate on the development of Danish climate law—including whether the new geopolitical reality is obstructing climate progress, and if so, how.
The book examines the development and current status of climate law, with a focus on UN climate law, EU climate law, the European Convention on Human Rights, Danish climate law, and related areas. The book has been produced with contributions from 42 lawyers, practitioners, and researchers.
Program
3:00–3:15 p.m.
Welcome by Marie Bjerre, Minister for European Affairs
3:15–4:00 p.m.
Panel debate: Is a new geopolitical reality obstructing climate progress? with former EU Commissioner Connie Hedegaard; Marie Bjerre, Minister for European Affairs; Kira Marie Peter-Hansen, MEP (Socialist People’s Party); Professor Katherine Richardson, University of Copenhagen
4:00–4:15 p.m.
Break
4:15–4:50 p.m.
European perspectives on the future of climate litigation by Professor John Paterson, University of Aberdeen; Professor Silke Goldberg, University of Groningen / Partner, Herbert Smith Freehills; Associate Professor Beatriz Martinez Romera
4:55–5:30 p.m.
Developments in international law and their significance for Denmark by Professor Ole Windahl Pedersen, Aarhus University; Assistant Professor Linnéa Nordlander, University of Copenhagen; Associate Professor Jesper Lindholm, Aalborg University
5:30–6:00 p.m.
Reception
Panel Participants
Marie Bjerre, Minister for European Affairs
Marie Bjerre has served as Minister for European Affairs since 29 August 2024, leading Denmark’s European policy efforts and the Danish EU Presidency. She has previously served as Minister for Digital Government and Gender Equality and has worked as a lawyer and as a Member of the Danish Parliament for the Liberal Party (Venstre) in the North Jutland constituency. With her legal background and broad experience in EU presidency work and European policy, Marie Bjerre brings a timely and focused perspective to the panel.
Silke Goldberg, University of Groningen / Herbert Smith Freehills
Silke Goldberg is a partner at the law firm Herbert Smith Freehills and Professor of Law at the University of Groningen. Her work focuses on energy law and climate law, including the regulation of energy infrastructure, emissions trading, and ESG-related governance. She has more than 20 years of experience in the energy sector and advises on climate and sustainability matters in the EU and internationally. She has published extensively on energy and climate law.
Jesper Lindholm, Aalborg University
Jesper Lindholm is Associate Professor of International Law, Human Rights, and Asylum Law at the Faculty of Law, Aalborg University. He is the founder of Menneskerettighedskonferencen.dk and Chair of the Nordic Institute for Migration. His research and public engagement focus, among other areas, on the legal status of climate-displaced persons, including international, human rights, and national law perspectives.
Beatriz Martinez Romera, University of Copenhagen, Center for Climate Change Law
Beatriz Martinez Romera is Associate Professor of Environmental and Climate Law at the Centre for Climate Change Law and Governance (CLIMA). In 2015, she completed her PhD on the regulation of greenhouse gas emissions from international aviation and shipping under the supervision of Professor Peter Pagh. Her research focuses on issues of environmental and climate law and governance, with a particular interest in international climate negotiations and regulatory processes within the International Civil Aviation Organization and the International Maritime Organization, as well as developments at the EU level.
John Paterson, University of Aberdeen
John Paterson is Professor of Law at the University of Aberdeen and co-founder of the university’s Centre for Energy Law. His research covers energy law, risk regulation, and governance in the EU, including offshore wind licensing, decommissioning, carbon capture and storage (CCS), and energy security in a climate context. He has published extensively on energy and corporate law and is a qualified solicitor in Scotland. He has also provided expert assistance in international arbitration and advised international organisations.
Kira Marie Peter-Hansen, Member of the European Parliament (SF)
Kira Marie Peter-Hansen is a Member of the European Parliament for the Socialist People’s Party and sits with the Group of the Greens/European Free Alliance, where she serves as Vice-Chair and Treasurer. She is Vice-Chair of the Subcommittee on Tax Matters (FISC), a member of the Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs (ECON) and the Committee on Legal Affairs (JURI), and a substitute member of the Committee on Industry, Research and Energy (ITRE). She has been involved, among other things, in work on legislative proposals concerning corporate sustainability reporting and due diligence.
Katherine Richardson, University of Copenhagen
Katherine Richardson is Professor at the Globe Institute, University of Copenhagen. Her research focuses on human impacts on the Earth’s climate system and the limits of sustainable development. She has contributed to major international reports on global environmental change and leads research projects examining the links between climate, biodiversity, and societal development. She has published extensively in the fields of climate and sustainability science.
Linnéa Nordlander, University of Copenhagen, Center for Climate Change Law
Linnéa Nordlander’s primary areas of expertise are sustainability, climate change, and human rights. Her research focuses on the possibilities and limitations of human rights law in compelling states to fulfil their climate obligations. She has a particular interest in rights-based climate litigation at the international, regional, and national levels, with a focus on Europe. She also examines mechanisms for the development of human rights standards in relation to environmental degradation, including climate change.
Connie Hedegaard, Former EU Commissioner
Connie Hedegaard has had climate action at the core of her political work since her appointment as Denmark’s Minister for the Environment in 2004. She served as EU Commissioner for Climate Action from 2010 to 2014, leading negotiations on the adoption of the EU’s 2030 climate and energy framework. As EU Commissioner, she was also responsible for the 2050 Roadmap for the transition to a low-emission economy and represented the EU in international climate negotiations.
Ole Windahl Pedersen, Aarhus University
Ole Windahl Pedersen is Professor at the Faculty of Law, Aarhus University. His research covers environmental and climate law, and he has contributed to international academic journals and collaborative projects on environmental law and constitutional law issues.