Recognizing the Right to a Healthy Environment at the Council of Europe: Why it matters
By Corina Heri, Postdoctoral Researcher at University of Zurich, Linnéa Nordlander, Assistant Professor at University of Copenhagen, and Annalisa Savaresi, Professor at University of Stirling and Associate Professor, University of Eastern Finland. First published in the GNHRE blog on 5 January 2024. Established in 1949, the Council of Europe (CoE) is the world’s oldest human rights system. It now […]
How to avoid missteps of accelerated EIA and permitting? – Reflections on the proposal for the EU’s Critical Raw Material Act
By Ismo Pölönen, Professor of Environmental Law (Bioeconomy and Natural Resources Law) Photo by Saara Österberg. In March 2023 the EU Commission proposed a Critical Raw Material Act (CRMA). Since then, the proposal has moved from the EU parliamentary reading to trilogue negotiations between the EU Council, Parliament and Commission. The aim is to conclude […]
The impact-based regulatory strategy in environmental law: Hallmark of effectiveness or pitfall for legitimacy?
By Niko Soininen, Professor of Environmental Law and Water Law, Seita Romppanen, Docent, Senior Lecturer on International Environmental Law and Senior Research Scientist at Finnish Environment Institute (SYKE), Mika Nieminen, Principal Scientist at Natural Resources Institute Finland (LUKE) and Sampo Soimakallio, Head of Unit at Finnish Environment Institute (SYKE) Environmental law was created to protect […]
EU legislation for clean air at crossroads
By Yulia Yamineva, Docent in Climate Law & Policy (Adjunct Professor) and Delphine Misonne, Professor, Université Saint-Louis – Bruxelles Air pollution has been a long-standing problem in the EU. While it has decreased over the past few decades, not least due to the EU clean air legislation and actions by national and local authorities, poor […]
Finland’s first climate lawsuit: Watching the forest sink
By Kati Kulovesi, Professor of International Law, Annalisa Savaresi, Associate Professor of International Environmental Law, Maiju Mähönen, Project Researcher and Otto Bruun, Junior Researcher In November 2022, Greenpeace and the Finnish Union for the Conservation of Nature filed Finland’s first climate case. The applicants claim that the Finnish Government has breached its obligations under Finland’s […]
EU regulation does not adequately consider environmental emissions of pharmaceuticals in global manufacturing supply chains
For further information, please contact Mirella Miettinen, Senior Researcher. First published in the UEF News and Events on 9 January 2023. EU regulation pertaining to good manufacturing practices and environmental risk assessment of pharmaceuticals does not adequately consider the environmental emissions of pharmaceuticals in global manufacturing supply chains, a recent study from the University of […]
The right to a healthy environment as an environmental grundnorm
By Rosemary Mwanza, PhD Candidate Introduction In the course of my doctoral research, I have often reflected on why the ideal embodied in human rights norms and the present reality always seem so far apart. In dealing specifically with the right to a healthy environment, I have felt that ascendant human rights norms may fail […]
Legal transformations in an era of globalization: the case of REDD+
By Eugenia Recio Piva, Postdoctoral Researcher in Climate Law and Policy (Author’s Note: This blog post is based on my recently defended article-based PhD titled Legal Transformations in an Era of Globalization: the case of REDD+) Forests are critical in ensuring the integrity of the world’s ecosystems and the wellbeing of humanity. Scientists say that […]
The role of human rights in climate litigation: A global review
By Annalisa Savaresi, Associate Professor of International Environmental Law. In recent years, litigation concerning climate change has increasingly invoked human rights. The databases curated by the Sabin Centre for Climate Change Law at Columbia Law School and the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment show a rising tide of cases ‘pushing the boundaries’ of […]
Ilmastolain päivitysohjeet poliitikoille: pieni pintaremontti ei riitä, myös perustuksia on vahvistettava
Kati Kulovesi, Tuula Honkonen, Antti Belinskij ja Vilja Johansson. This was first published in the 2035Legitimacy blog. Hallituksen esitys uudeksi ilmastolaiksi on menossa eduskunnan käsittelyyn tammikuussa 2022. Tässä blogissa arvioimme lausunnoilla ollutta lakiehdotusta eri maiden ilmastolaeista ja -oikeudenkäynneistä saatujen kokemusten näkökulmasta. Mikä ilmastolaki ja miksi sitä uudistetaan? Luonnos hallituksen esitykseksi uudeksi ilmastolaiksi oli lausuntokierroksella syyskesällä 2021. Lausuntoja tuli […]