#109 | Episode 3: In the Blind Spot – Climate Litigation Through the Lens of Human Rights (In French)
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Episode 3 | In the Blind Spot – Climate Litigation Through the Lens of Human Rights (in French)
Broadcast Date: October 2, 2025
EPISODE SUMMARY | CONFERENCE | SERIES OVERVIEW | BIOGRAPHIES | USEFUL LINKS | PREVIOUS SERIES
EPISODE SUMMARY
Climate change is increasingly framed as a human rights issue. In this third episode, the Honourable Justice Simon Ruel speaks with Maud Sarlieve, Head of the Secretariat of the Climate Research Forum (Oxford Sustainable Law Programme), about the rise of climate litigation and its tensions with the separation of powers. Together, they examine landmark cases such as Urgenda in the Netherlands, the Swiss Senior Women for Climate Protection case, the youth plaintiffs in Montana, and the historic 2025 advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice. What role should courts play in addressing state and corporate inaction on climate? An essential conversation at the intersection of law, justice, and climate.
Guest
- Maud Sarlieve, Head of the Secretariat of the Climate Research Forum, Oxford Sustainable Law Programme
Host
- The Honourable Justice Simon Ruel, Court of Appeal of Quebec
BIOGRAPHIES
Maud Sarlieve
Maud Sarlieve is an established expert in international criminal law, international humanitarian law, and human rights. She is also recognised for her leadership in developing innovative legal approaches to address environmental and climate-related challenges. Her recent work focuses on environmental crimes, ecocide, the right to a healthy environment, and the urgent need for collaboration among legal professionals, policymakers, and scientists in documenting and investigating environmental and climate harm.
At the Oxford Sustainable Law Programme, Maud serves as Head of the Secretariat of the Climate Research Forum—a global initiative bringing together academic institutions and practitioners to foster interdisciplinary cooperation on legal issues related to climate change. She is also an Associate Research Fellow at the Institute of Commonwealth Studies, where she advises the Director on the institute’s environmental and climate policy work.
Maud can be reached at maud.sarlieve@smithschool.ox.ac.uk or maud.sarlieve@sas.ac.uk
The Honourable Justice Simon Ruel
The Honourable Simon Ruel was elevated to the Court of Appeal of Quebec on June 21, 2017, after having sat on the Quebec Superior Court from 2014 to 2017. Justice Ruel studied law at the Université de Montréal’s Faculty of Law. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry and has completed a certificate in Russian studies at Université Laval’s Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences.
As a lawyer, Justice Ruel practised mainly in public and administrative law and in government affairs. He was a member of the Quebec Bar (1995) and of the Law Society of Ontario (2007). After beginning his career with the firm of Grey Casgrain in Montreal, he subsequently became a litigator and counsel to the federal Department of Justice, the Privy Council Office, and the federal Department of Finance in Ottawa. Before his appointment to the Superior Court, he was a partner at the firm of BCF Business Law in Quebec City and, prior to that, at the national Canadian firm Heenan Blaikie
Justice Ruel participated as counsel in numerous federal and provincial public inquiries and investigations. These included the Commission of Inquiry into the Sponsorship Program and Advertising Activities, the Cornwall Public Inquiry, and the Commission of Inquiry on the Process for Appointing Judges presided by the Honourable Michel Bastarache. He also appeared before the Manitoba Court of Appeal to represent the Manitoba Commission of Inquiry into the Circumstances Surrounding the Death of Phoenix Sinclair.
In addition to practising law, Justice Ruel taught public and administrative law at the Quebec Bar School and lectured on civil and commercial evidence at the University of Ottawa. He has authored or co-authored numerous legal publications, articles, and commentaries on public and administrative law and on inquiries. He has also participated as a speaker, host, or moderator in a number of legal events on topics covering judicial ethics, public and administrative law, public inquiries and investigations, criminal and penal law, the use of technology in the justice system, and judgment writing. Justice Ruel has served as chair of the Quebec Judicial Committee on Information Security (“COMSI”) and chair of the Judges Section of the Canadian Bar Association.
He is currently a puisne member of the Judicial Independence Committee of the Canadian Judicial Council and co-chair of the Council’s social media subcommittee. As counsel, he advised the Council on reforms to the disciplinary process for federally appointed judges and, subsequently, as a member of the Council’s Judicial Independence Committee, he participated in revising the Ethical Principles for Judges, which were updated in 2021, and in the drafting of the Guidelines on the Use of Social Media by Federally Appointed Judges, which were released in October 2024.
Justice Ruel also has an interest in international law. In 2014, in preparation for the review of Haiti’s implementation of the United Nations Convention against Corruption, he participated, on behalf of Transparency International/Haiti, in an international mission to assess anti-corruption measures taken by the Republic of Haiti.
Over the course of his study leave during the 2023-2024 judicial year, Justice Ruel focused on the law of war, international humanitarian law and international criminal law. He was a visiting professor at Université Laval’s Faculty of Law in Quebec City and took part in a number of teaching activities and seminars on these topics. He collaborated with the Faculty’s International Criminal and Humanitarian Law Clinic and with Lawyers Without Borders, including on issues relating to the prevention of corruption. He also made three visits to the International Criminal Court in The Hague as a visiting professional to observe all facets of international criminal justice in an active case involving the Central African Republic.
USEFUL LINKS
- Advisory Opinion of the International Court of Justice on the Obligations of States in Respect of Climate Change: Advisory opinion of July 23, 2025.
- Advisory Opinion from the Inter-American Court of Human Rights: https://www.climatecasechart.com/document/a-request-for-an-advisory-opinion-from-the-inter-american-court-of-human-rights-concerning-the-interpretation-of-article-1-1-4-1-and-5-1-of-the-american-convention-on-human-rights_8b54
- Klimaseniorinnen decision of the European Court of Human Rights: https://www.climatecasechart.com/document/klimaseniorinnen-v-switzerland-ecthr_e78f
- Urgenda Foundation v. State of the Netherlands: https://www.climatecasechart.com/document/urgenda-foundation-v-state-of-the-netherlands_3297
- Sabin Center for Climate Change Law: https://www.climatecasechart.com/
PREVIOUS SERIES
“Under Fire” is a series of french podcasts produced by the Canadian Institute for the Administration of Justice and hosted by the Honorable Judge Simon Ruel of the Quebec Court of Appeal in 2024. The interviews feature experts in international law, the law of war, humanitarian law, and international criminal law. The series aims to examine and understand the rules and legal consequences arising from international conflicts.
The right to wage war (jus ad bellum) and international humanitarian law (jus in bello) concern, respectively, the right of states to use armed force against other states and the regulation of armed conflict once it has begun, with the aim, in particular, of limiting suffering and protecting civilian populations. International criminal law deals with the individual criminal responsibility of actors in armed conflicts for crimes constituting serious violations of humanitarian law, such as genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes. The International Criminal Court is a permanent international criminal court with universal jurisdiction and a mandate to rule on the responsibility of such actors. In addition, certain issues relating to armed conflict may also be brought before the International Court of Justice, the principal judicial organ of the United Nations, particularly with regard to the use of force in international law and the application of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide.
The “Under Fire” podcast series explores these topics with experts in an accessible and educational manner, with the aim of demystifying these important concepts for the Canadian legal community and enabling it to better understand the current global flashpoints and their consequences.
List of episodes (in French):
- Le droit international humanitaire (ou droit des conflits armés – jus in bello)
- La justice pénale internationale sous toutes ses coutures
- La défense en justice pénale internationale
- Les victimes et la justice pénale internationale
- Le recours à la force en droit international et la Cour internationale de justice
In All Fairness is a Canadian Institute for the Administration of Justice podcast channel welcoming representatives from the legal community and exploring how we can all contribute to improving the administration of justice in Canada. Legal professionals will benefit from informed discussions on key issues, essential knowledge and insights to strengthen their practice.
Visit the upcoming programs section of our website or the online library, or contact us if you want to learn more and expand your skills. Numerous programs are available, including customized training.
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