August 22, 2025

Confronting climate change: Evolving strategies in dispute resolution

The Seventh Annual Schiefelbein Global Dispute Resolution Conference convened in Geneva, Switzerland, in 2025, bringing together a distinguished audience of dispute resolution lawyers, government leaders, corporate counsel, business executives and academics. Co-sponsored by Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law at Arizona State University, Schiefelbein Global Dispute Resolution and the Geneva Center for International Dispute Settlement, this year’s program took one of the most urgent topics of our time: climate change and its impact on disputes and dispute resolution.

The setting could not be more fitting. Geneva has long been recognized as a global hub for both international law and climate leadership. Over the course of the conference, participants explored how the climate crisis is reshaping cross-border disputes and examine evolving strategies for resolving them fairly and effectively.

This year’s keynote speaker, Anthony Patt, professor of climate policy at ETH Zürich and director of the ETH Climate Policy Lab, delivered a talk that many described as transformative. A veteran contributor to multiple IPCC reports and a leading thinker on decarbonization pathways, Patt revealed compelling evidence that the global energy transition is happening at a pace few imagined possible.

From the surge in electric vehicle adoption — jumping from 4% to 25% of new car sales in just five years — to the fact that 90% of new power investments are now in renewables, his presentation illustrated a clear trend: the energy system is shifting, and faster than policymakers, businesses or legal frameworks may be prepared for. Patt also highlighted signs that China may have already passed peak emissions, marking a historic moment where economic growth coincides with declining emissions. His bold forecast? Peak global emissions could happen as early as next year.

Art Hinshaw, associate dean for experiential learning and faculty director of the Lodestar Dispute Resolution Center at ASU Law, agreed: “The insights he shared were game-changing, causing all of the conference’s panelists to take notice that they need to rethink the way they engage issues relating to climate. All of us there left wanting everyone — students, practitioners and policymakers — to hear this message.”

The full keynote is available online, and conference organizers encourage anyone interested in the future of climate policy, law and dispute resolution to watch. The recording offers a rare opportunity to hear a leading expert explain the legal and policy implications of one of the most consequential shifts in modern history.

The Center for Law and Global Affairs at ASU Law proudly participated in and supported the conference, underscoring its commitment to addressing complex global challenges through innovative legal solutions.

View the full slide deck here.
 

Written by Allison Otu