Simplification or deregulation? Evaluating the EU’s Clean Industrial Deal and Action Plan for Affordable Energy
by Matti Gurreck, Postdoctoral Researcher at the University of Eastern Finland Photo by Ellie Meh on Unsplash. The European Commission published its flagship policy package called the Clean Industrial Deal (CID) on 26 February 2025. In the run-up to the CID, environmental groups feared the new Commission’s plans might be a backlash for the environmental […]
A Recipe for Zero-Pollution Climate Policies: Win-win Solutions for Cleaning the Air and Protecting the Climate
By Niklas Löther, Project Researcher Photo by Benjamin on Unsplash. Around 400,000 premature deaths each year are attributable to air pollution in Europe. Yet, the subject is increasingly sidelined by the climate crisis in public debate – despite the European Green Deal setting both carbon-neutrality and zero-pollution as goals for 2050. Indeed, we should not […]
Kestävyysmurros edellyttää huomion kiinnittämistä ympäristövaikutusten seurantaan
Kirjoittaja: Anni Kärkkäinen, väitöskirjatutkija Blogiteksti perustuu ympäristövaikutusten arvioinnin asemaa kestävyysmurroksessa tarkastelevaan väitöskirja-artikkeliin, joka on osa strategisen tutkimusneuvoston rahoittamaa hanketta ”Mutkikkaiden oikeusjärjestelmien resilienssi kestävyysmurroksessa” (358392). Ympäristövaikutusten arviointi (YVA-menettely) on ennakollinen prosessi, joka mahdollistaa suurten hankkeiden merkittävien ympäristövaikutusten kartoittamisen varhaisessa vaiheessa ennen hanketoiminnan aloittamista. Haitallisten vaikutusten ehkäisy edellyttää toisaalta, ettei vaikutusten tarkastelu lopu hanketoiminnan aloittamiseen, vaan se […]
Saving the Green Deal: A Climate Justice and Human Rights Imperative
By Margaretha Wewerinke-Singh, Associate Professor at University of Amsterdam , Annalisa Savaresi, Professor at University of Eastern Finland and Corina Heri, Assistant Professor at Tilburg University This blogpost was first published at GNHRE blog (February 24, 2025) Introduction The European Green Deal — the EU’s flagship strategy to reach climate neutrality by 2050 and halt environmental degradation—launched […]
COP29 and Its Implications for Carbon Capture and Storage Technology
By Reza Maddahi, PhD Researcher The 29th Conference of the Parties (COP29) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) concluded in November 2024 in Baku, Azerbaijan. Billed as a ‘technical COP’, this conference focused primarily on solidifying financial mechanisms and technical rules within the Paris Agreement framework. Key outcomes included the establishment of the ‘new collective quantified goal’ […]
Corporate climate (un)accountability? Landmark Shell ruling overturned on appeal
by Harro van Asselt* and Annalisa Savaresi** First published in Centre for Climate Engagement (November 13, 2024). Shell’s ongoing legal battle over climate accountability reached a pivotal moment on 12 November 2024, as the Hague Court of Appeal delivered its verdict on the company’s appeal. This case has drawn global attention since the initial 2021 […]
Does civil society have a voice in EU climate negotiation preparation?
Writer: Tuula Honkonen, Senior Lecturer in international law at the University of Eastern Finland. First published in 2035Legitimacy blog (November 7, 2024). The European Union is strongly committed to transparent and participatory governance. However, preparation of its position for international climate negotiations is not transparent or open to civil society participation. Behind the Scenes: The […]
Towards a More Representative and Equitable COP? UNFCCC Continues Efforts to Improve Observer Participation in Baku
By: Nicola Sharman, PhD Researcher at the University of Eastern Finland. This blogpost was first published 2035Legitimacy blog (October 17, 2024). From November 11 to 22, government delegations and other stakeholders will gather in Baku, Azerbaijan for COP29 of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). But the UNFCCC has been struggling to […]
People around the World are Using Courts to Question whether Climate Policies are Fair – new study
Authors: Annalisa Savaresi, Senior Lecturer, Environmental Law, University of Stirling Joana Setzer, Associate Professorial Research Fellow, Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment, London School of Economics and Political Science First published in The Conversation (October 22, 2024). London, October 2024: trade unions call for a just transition for oil and gas workers. Vuk […]
Environmental Procedural Rights at Risk? Inadequate Financial Contributions Threaten to Undermine the Aarhus Convention
Written by Nicola Sharman This article was originally published on Ejil:Talk! From 2-4 July, the Working Group of the Parties to the Aarhus Convention met for the 28th time in the UN Headquarters in Geneva. The agenda featured critical topics such as access to justice, public participation in international forums, the protection of environmental defenders, compliance cases, capacity-building, and possible topics […]