We proudly present the annual fourth edition of Ecology Law Quarterly, the transcripts for the 2024 Annual Symposium. Just as the global environmental movement has continued to evolve since ELQ’s founding in the 1970s, so has our focus. Publishing pieces that push the conventional boundaries of environmental law means exploring parts of the environment movement that were historically too often ignored by environmental-legal academia, or not considered environmental issues at all. In recent years, we have transformed our Symposium to invite and learn from voices beyond traditional environmental-legal academia: practicing lawyers, activists, policy advocates, and experts from other environmental fields. We hope to create a resource in environmental law to be shared with our readers across the environmental movement.
The 2024 Annual Symposium, under direction of Symposium Director, Natalie Friedberg, was entitled “Reframing Conservation, Ecology, and Environmental Justice.” This Symposium featured a host of experts and practitioners breaking down the traditional divide between “mainstream” environmentalism and the environmental movement. Our speakers demonstrate how to apply environmental justice as a lens that we can use in all environmental-legal work by promoting the integration of Indigenous knowledge, community engagement, and environmental reparations through legal proceedings. These advocates have won hard-fought battles in part because they saw beyond this conceptual divide, and we are so grateful for their time and insights.
