It’s hard to pass policies that aggressively address climate change, public health, and other environmental issues. So when a country does pass them, it’s all the more frustrating that more and more frequently, multinational corporations sue them through an international investment court system for millions, even billions of dollars. And since these cases are decided behind closed doors by a group of commercial lawyers, most of us never even hear about them. Today, we’ll cover what these investor-state dispute settlements are, what threat they pose to climate progress, and how the system could be reformed. With special guest Dr. Kyla Tienhaara: Canada Research Chair in Economy and Environment at Queen’s University.
The Sweaty Penguin is presented by Peril and Promise: a public media initiative from PBS flagship station The WNET Group in New York, reporting on the issues and solutions around climate change. You can learn more at pbs.org/perilandpromise.
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