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 […]
“Historic” or “Historic Failure”? Fossil Fuels at COP28
By Harro van Asselt, Professor of Climate Law and Policy. First published in the EJIL:Talk! Blog on 28 December 2023. Another climate change COP has come and gone. As has become quite common by now, a complex set of intergovernmental negotiations are ultimately reduced to a fight over one particular issue. At the UN Climate Change Conference […]
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 […]
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 […]
Five takeaways on international climate cooperation from the IPCC’s Sixth Assessment Report on mitigation
By Harro van Asselt, Professor of Climate Law and Policy. First published in the NDC Aspects blog on 7 April 2022. The latest report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) underscores once again why this is a critical decade for climate action: to keep global warming below 1.5°C with a chance of more than […]
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 […]
Beyond COP26: Time for an Advisory Opinion on climate change?
By Annalisa Savaresi, Kati Kulovesi and Harro van Asselt. First published in the EJIL:Talk blog on 17 December 2021. The recent Glasgow Climate Change Conference (COP26) provided a stark reminder of the gap between states’ planned greenhouse emission reductions and the global temperature goal enshrined in the Paris Agreement. The conference also dramatically showcased once more the plight […]
Breaking a taboo: Fossil fuels at COP26
By Dr. Harro van Asselt, Professor of Climate Law and Policy. First published in the EJIL:Talk! blog on 26 November 2021. For nearly 30 years, the international legal regime addressing climate change has kept largely silent about the major driver of the problem it seeks to address: fossil fuels. The Glasgow Climate Change Conference (COP26) […]
COP26: What to expect?
By Nicola Sharman, PhD Researcher. First published in the 2035Legitimacy blog on 28 October 2021. On 1 November, delegates from around the world will come together for two weeks at COP26 in Glasgow, Scotland, to discuss the international response to climate change. After a one-year delay due to the pandemic, the Glasgow conference marks a […]