The judgment of the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) in the case Verein KlimaSeniorinnen v. Switzerland is a striking example of the Paris effect: the influence of the non-binding collective goals of the Paris Agreement (PA) on the interpretation of domestic constitutional law or international human rights law in […]
Cross-cutting Issues
387 posts
A new report published today by the Sabin Center examines the laws governing international transport of carbon dioxide for sequestration. We focus, specifically, on the shipping of carbon dioxide that was captured in Europe to the United States for sequestration there. Much of the report would also be relevant to […]
Today, the Sabin Center for Climate Change Law published a new report titled Advisory Opinion On Climate Change: Summary of Written Observations Submitted to the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (Part 1). Faced with an escalating climate emergency, the global community is increasingly turning to international courts and tribunals for guidance on addressing […]
On April 9, 2024, the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) ruled on three applications concerning the fight against climate change and the positive obligations of the signatory states of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) in this respect. Two of the applications were declared inadmissible (Duarte Agostinho and […]
Incorporating International Climate Change Law to Maintain the ECHR’s Relevance Amid the Climate Crisis “Everything could be different – and yet there is almost nothing I can change.” This is, as Niklas Luhmann observed, the paradoxical blend that modern democracies impose on citizens, inviting either utopianism or fatalism. Disillusionment with the […]
The climate rulings of the Grand Chamber of the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) are landmark decisions. However, it is not obvious what they mean precisely for the State parties of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR). Have we witnessed, in Verein KlimaSeniorinnen Schweiz, a landslide victory for […]
On April 9, 2024, the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) issued its first-ever findings concerning climate change. This post, part of a series on the ECtHR decisions, discusses Duarte Agostinho and Others v. 32 Member States. The case was brought by six youth applicants from Portugal, who alleged breaches […]
Last week was big for green bank champions. On Thursday April 4th, the Environmental Protection Agency announced $20 billion of awards from the $27 billion Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund (GGRF) created under the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). Three applicants were selected under the $14 billion National Clean Investment Fund, […]