Moving towards the recognition and protection of climate change refugees under international human rights law
The recent hurricanes that hit the coast of the Caribbean have renewed the fears of a global climate refugee crisis. However, there is a lack of clarity on who exactly...
U.N. Framework Principles on Human Rights and the Environment: A Catalyst for Grassroots-Centered U.S. Reform?
John H. Knox, the U.N. Special Rapporteur on Human Rights and the Environment, recently issued a final report to the U.N. Human Rights Council. The report, which contains 16 Framework...
Homeless at Home: Forced Internal Displacement In India
In September 2017, the Prime Minister of India inaugurated the Sardar Sarovar Dam (SSP), which was designated as the second largest dam in the world. Most of the Indian media...
Taking the backseat? Strategic utilisation of human rights in the implementation of SDGs
Human rights and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are closely entwined. The text of the Agenda declares that human rights constitute the foundation and the aim of development. It states...
Sustainable Development as a Human Right (with Olivier De Schutter)
In September 2015, the UN adopted a set of goals to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all people. These are the UN Sustainable Development Goals, to...
Irish High Court rules Constitution protects a ‘Right to an Environment’
The recent 2017, Irish High Court judgment on environmental rights has been described as ‘historic’ as it declared that the Irish Constitution protects an un-enumerated personal constitutional ‘right to an...
Waitangi Day: Rights, Sovereignty and the Politics of a National Day
New Zealand celebrated its national day this week. Unlike Canada Day which marks the anniversary of the Canadian federation, or Australia Day which marks the anniversary of the establishment of...
Atmospheric Trust Litigation: Offering Hope To India’s Hapless Adivasi Community
The all-encompassing phenomenon of anthropogenic climate change has endangered the lives and livelihood of humanity at large. However, the distribution of adverse effects of climate change is not uniform. The...
Negotiating for Change in Climate Change
Last month, leaders from around the world gathered in New York for the 72nd Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA). The Paris Agreement dominated high-level discussions, a poignant...
Brazilian Amazon’s Opening to Mining Operations and the Threat to the Rights of Indigenous Peoples
On 22 August 2017, Brazilian president Michel Temer issued a decree ending the protected status of a vast Amazon region known as Renca—an acronym for ‘National Reserve of Copper and...
Guatemala: Building a Water Law from Below
Guatemala, the Land of Eternal Spring, is one of the most ecologically diverse nations on the planet and is endowed with plenty of water resources. However, the uneven distribution of...
Seeking Environmental Justice: Coal, Campaigns and Climate Change (with Nick Stump)
Following U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw from the Paris Climate Agreement, what is the future of environmental justice and human rights in the United States and the world?...
