As guest co-editors, UConn Business Law and MSSRIB faculty members Stephen Park and Rachel Chambers, together with Karin Buhmann (Copenhagen Business School) and Danielle Anne Pamplona (Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Paraná), contributed to a new symposium published by the Business and Human Rights Journal blog.
The symposium, based on the February 27–28, 2025 conference hosted at the University of Connecticut, convened an interdisciplinary and multi-sectoral dialogue among academic researchers, business and human rights practitioners, and financial professionals. Together, they examined the legal, ethical, financial, and social aspects of climate action during a period of rapid environmental and economic transformation, political instability, and uncertainty.
Key Themes from the Symposium
The contributions to the symposium address three critical dimensions of climate action and business and human rights (BHR):
1.) Justice & Human Rights – How companies integrate (or fail to integrate) justice, equity, and human rights into their climate strategies, highlighting risks of greenwashing and exclusion.
2.) Finance & Just Transition – How investment and lending decisions can accelerate—or hinder—a fair transition.
3.) Governance & Innovation – The role of international cooperation, new climate technologies, and systemic reforms in closing governance gaps.
By bringing together diverse voices and critical perspectives, the symposium underscores the urgent need for collaborative, justice-centered approaches to climate action that empower businesses, investors, and policymakers to drive meaningful and equitable change.