<p>Bengaluru: The possibilities and limitations of existing laws in addressing biodiversity depletion and climate change were among the prominent themes at the 36th Lawasia Conference here on Sunday.</p>.<p>Experts presented trends in environmental governance during a session titled ‘Meeting and Beating the Triple Planetary Crises: Climate Change, Biodiversity Loss and Pollution’, as part of the conference’s environmental law section.</p>.<p>Robert White, barrister at the New South Wales Bar, Australia, underlined the concept of ecocentrism, which supports the protection of all life forms, beyond the value they hold for human beings. “Lawyers are increasingly beginning to recognise that these (existing) concepts of sustainable development are not sufficient to protect species and that we need a more ecocentric approach to protection of the environment,” he said.</p>.<p>White cited three cases to validate this “evolving ecocentrist doctrine”, including the 2022 Meghamalai case, which saw the Madras High Court identify ‘mother nature’ as a living being with all the legal rights of a living person.</p>.<p>The session explored as sub-themes the right to a healthy environment and the role of litigation in enabling climate action.</p>.<p>Lake conservationist Anand Malligavad detailed the struggles involved in the rejuvenation of 33 lakes in Bengaluru, which he took up through CSR partnerships and crowd-funding, over six years. Malligavad also noted the poor implementation of court directives in clearing encroachments in and around the lakes.</p>.<p><strong>AI in crimes</strong></p><p>The four-day conference, on its penultimate day, hosted a panel of experts on the topic ‘Crimes, Torts and Breach of Contracts in the World of Artificial Intelligence’.</p>.<p>The panelists spoke on diverse aspects of AI as a new tool in criminal activities, from phishing to deep-fakes. While inherent biases in AI applications and the challenges in investigating crimes involving AI were among the topics of discussion, it was also argued that some of the apprehensions regarding these applications are overstated and could be traced to a fear of the unknown.</p>
<p>Bengaluru: The possibilities and limitations of existing laws in addressing biodiversity depletion and climate change were among the prominent themes at the 36th Lawasia Conference here on Sunday.</p>.<p>Experts presented trends in environmental governance during a session titled ‘Meeting and Beating the Triple Planetary Crises: Climate Change, Biodiversity Loss and Pollution’, as part of the conference’s environmental law section.</p>.<p>Robert White, barrister at the New South Wales Bar, Australia, underlined the concept of ecocentrism, which supports the protection of all life forms, beyond the value they hold for human beings. “Lawyers are increasingly beginning to recognise that these (existing) concepts of sustainable development are not sufficient to protect species and that we need a more ecocentric approach to protection of the environment,” he said.</p>.<p>White cited three cases to validate this “evolving ecocentrist doctrine”, including the 2022 Meghamalai case, which saw the Madras High Court identify ‘mother nature’ as a living being with all the legal rights of a living person.</p>.<p>The session explored as sub-themes the right to a healthy environment and the role of litigation in enabling climate action.</p>.<p>Lake conservationist Anand Malligavad detailed the struggles involved in the rejuvenation of 33 lakes in Bengaluru, which he took up through CSR partnerships and crowd-funding, over six years. Malligavad also noted the poor implementation of court directives in clearing encroachments in and around the lakes.</p>.<p><strong>AI in crimes</strong></p><p>The four-day conference, on its penultimate day, hosted a panel of experts on the topic ‘Crimes, Torts and Breach of Contracts in the World of Artificial Intelligence’.</p>.<p>The panelists spoke on diverse aspects of AI as a new tool in criminal activities, from phishing to deep-fakes. While inherent biases in AI applications and the challenges in investigating crimes involving AI were among the topics of discussion, it was also argued that some of the apprehensions regarding these applications are overstated and could be traced to a fear of the unknown.</p>
