M.C. Mehta visits MU-CEL
The world’s most celebrated environmental activist lawyer, M.C. Mehta spent a week in Sydney (20 – 26 October 2009) as the guest of Macquarie University’s Centre for Environmental Law (MU-CEL). Since the signing of a collaborative memorandum of agreement in India in May between the M.C. Mehta Environment Foundation and MU-CEL, M.C. has worked closely with Professors Michael Jeffery and Donna Craig to develop a research and exchange program of mutual interest and benefit to both centres.
M.C.’s visit to Macquarie provided its students and academic staff several opportunities to hear how he has almost single handedly been able to effectively use the law and, in particular the constitution and the courts in India to achieve a wide range of environmental goals that have eluded other equally determined activists in other developing and developed countries.
The recipient of a UNEP Global 500 award (1993), the Goldman Environmental Prize for Asia (1996) and the Ramon Magsaysay Foundation Public Service award for Asia (1997) among several other prestigious international awards and honours, Mehta has been often described as the One Man Enviro-legal Brigade and has an unparalleled record of success in the fight to curtail the activities of polluting industries in Delhi and throughout India. Macquarie undergraduate and Masters students in Professor Jeffery’s International Environmental Law unit were treated to a passionate presentation by M.C. of the strategies behind some of his most important cases.
A number of the School of Law’s PhD candidates and students and academic staff from law and other faculties had a similar opportunity to meet Mr. Mehta and discuss the impact his advocacy has had in demonstrating how law and the judiciary can be used in creative ways to fill the gap left by ineffective executive and legislative action and/or lax monitoring, compliance and enforcement.
One of the many highlights of his visit was the public lecture he delivered on Thursday evening (23 October) entitled “Citizen Acitvism, the Courts and Major Environmental Change”. Introduced on behalf of the University by Deputy Vice-Chancellor Jim Piper, M.C. enthralled his audience with an in-depth look into the remarkable courtroom tactics he uses to persuade skeptical judges to acknowledge the constitutional duty of both citizens and the judges themselves to protect and conserve the environment in India. In attendance were Chief Justice Brian Preston of the NSW Land and Environment Court, Acting Dean of Law, Associate Professor Cameron Stewart, Professor Peter Nelson, Head of Macquarie’s Graduate School of Environment, students, academic staff and members of the public. A reception was held after the lecture during which several students were motivated to volunteer to assist M.C. with his ongoing quest for environmental justice.
Throughout the week Professors Jeffery, Craig and M.C continued their work on the development of a large research project to be led by MU-CEL and the M.C. Mehta Environment Foundation and research colleagues at Macquarie, Tribhuvan University in Nepal and Wuhan University in China involving the impact of glacier melt as a result of climate change on major river systems in the Himalayas with comparative analysis of climate change impacts on our own river systems here in Australia.
As many will be aware, M.C. Mehta was featured in an article by Michael Pelly that appeared in the Legal Affairs section of the Australian newspaper on p. 30 of the Friday, 24 October edition. Dubbed India’s Enviro-Warrier, M.C. used the occasion to underline the importance of his latest court case to stop the construction of six dams on the upper reaches of the Ganges River high in the Himalyas. This case returns to court on 30 October and MU-CEL was able to provide some limited research assistance during the short time that he was with us in Sydney. In addition, M.C. gave an extensive interview to Damien Carrick that is scheduled to be aired on the ABC National Radio Law Report on Tuesday, 28 October 2009.
Professors Michael Jeffery and Donna Craig, with whom M.C Mehta stayed at their home in Kenthurst, hosted a small dinner party in his honour to enable him to spend an evening with some of his many friends and admirers. In attendance were retired Justice Paul Stein and his wife Barbara Adams, Justice Nicola Pain, Senator Christine Milne of the Australian Greens Party, Professor Peter Nelson and his wife Maree, Professor Stephen Thurgate Executive Dean of the Faculty of Science at Macquarie and his wife Ursula as well as MU-CEL colleagues Erika Techera and Christopher Stone and their respective partners.
On the final day M.C. assisted in the planting of a Leptospermum in the garden of Michael and Donna’s home commemorating his visit and Senator Milne planted another Australian native Callistemon vininalis in memory of a dearly loved friend and colleague of all of us, Professor Alexandre Kiss, one of the truly revered pioneers of international environmental law who passed away in March 2007. M.C. also used this occasion to plant a tree in memory of his wife’s mother who passed away earlier this year. Both Donna and Michael had the pleasure of meeting her on their visit to M.C.’s eco-ashram in India in May of 2007.
After a brief visit later that morning from Christine Milne and M.C. with the two resident pet alpacas, Izzy and Aussie, M.C had an opportunity to spend the afternoon on a picture perfect day in the Blue Mountains taking in the beauty of one of Australia’s world heritage sites.
The following photos record some of the memorable events associated with M.C. Mehta’s visit.
Professor Jeffery with M.C Mehta
M.C. Mehta in the grounds of Macquarie University
M.C. Mehta delivering his lecture
M.C. Mehta and Professor Jeffery
Prof. Michael Jeffery, DVC Prof. Jim Piper, Chief Judge Brian Preston and M.C. Mehta
M.C. Mehta Public Lecture (23 Oct 2008)
M.C. Mehta Public Lecture (23 Oct 2008)
C.J. Brian Preston, Prof. Donna Craig, DVC Prof. Jim Piper, M.C. Mehta,
Prof. Michael Jeffery, Dean of Law A/Prof. Cameron Stewart and Prof. Peter Nelson
Maree Nelson, Prof. Peter Nelson, Ursula Thurgate and M.C. Mehta
Prof. Donna Craig, Hayley and Chris Stone and Prof. Stephen Thurgate
Justice Paul Stein, Barbara Adams, Justice Nicola Pain and Senator Christine Milne
Justice Nicola Pain, Barbara Adams and Justice Paul Stein
Prof. Peter Nelson, Prof Michael Jeffery, Justice Paul Stein, Barbara Adams, Prof. Donna Craig,
Erika Techera, Hayley Stone, Chris Stone, Louis Techera, Senator Christine Milne, M.C. Mehta, Justice Nicola Pain
M.C. Mehta and Prof. Jeffery
M.C. Mehta
M.C. Mehta
Senator Christine Milne (planting tree in memory of Prof. Alexandre Kiss)
M.C. Mehta
Senata Christine Milne and Prof. Donna Craig
M.C. Mehta and Senator Christine Milne
Senator Christine Milne feeding Aussie (alpaca)
M.C. Mehta at Govett's Leap in the Blue Mountains National Park
Blue Mountains National Park