22 May 2024
The ITLOS Advisory Opinion on Climate Change
On May 21, 2024, the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) delivered a long-awaited Advisory Opinion on climate change and international law. This marks the first time that an international tribunal has issued an advisory opinion on State obligations regarding climate change mitigation. The Advisory Opinion addresses several key questions regarding application of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) in the context of climate change. There is much to explore in terms of both the content of the ITLOS advisory opinion and its potential implications for global, regional, and local efforts to combat climate change. To facilitate discussion and the exchange of ideas, the Sabin Center's Climate Law Blog and Verfassungsblog are partnering on a blog symposium on the ITLOS opinion. In this first, introductory blog, we outline the background to the advisory opinion and highlight some of the key takeaways from it. Continue reading >>
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09 April 2024
The Transformation of European Climate Change Litigation
In a transformative moment for European and global climate litigation, the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) ruled today that the state has a positive duty to adopt, and effectively implement in practice, regulations and measures capable of mitigating the existing and potentially irreversible future effects of climate change. In Verein KlimaSeniorinnen Schweiz and Others v. Switzerland (“KlimaSeniorinnen”), the Court held that by failing to put in place a domestic regulatory framework for climate change mitigation, the Swiss government violated Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), the right to respect for private and family life. The judgment is a milestone for human rights protection. Continue reading >>18 December 2023
Die Implementation der IHRA-Arbeitsdefinition Antisemitismus ins deutsche Recht – eine rechtliche Beurteilung
Diese Beurteilung wurde am 5. Dezember 2023 an die Fraktionsvorsitzenden, an die Mitglieder der Ausschüsse Inneres und Recht sowie an die Ausschussbüros der anderen beteiligten Ausschüsse des Bundestags versandt. Nachdem in der Presse über dieses Papier berichtet wurde, haben wir uns entschieden, sie zu veröffentlichen. Continue reading >>22 September 2023
Civil Disobedience in the Climate Crisis
Blocked streets, occupied airports, and a Brandenburg Gate sprayed with paint: Civil disobedience is making a spectacular comeback. Continue reading >>
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22 September 2023
Ziviler Ungehorsam in der Klimakrise
Blockierte Straßen, besetzte Flughäfen, besprühte Wahrzeichen: Der zivile Ungehorsam erlebt ein spektakuläres Comeback. Continue reading >>23 September 2022
The Ukrainian Wonder
Ukraine will win this war. As a democracy. Continue reading >>23 September 2022
Das ukrainische Wunder
Die Ukraine wird diesen Krieg gewinnen. Als Demokratie. Continue reading >>26 March 2022
‘Don’t Look Up’, Look ‘South’
There is no doubt: climate law is about to become one of the most important issues in comparative constitutional and international law. The institutional and legal questions are tricky, the number of cases exploding, and, more importantly: the stakes are high. On the very day we kicked off this blog debate the world was hit by the news of an “impossible” and “unthinkable” temperature surge in the Arctic and Antarctic, with climate journalists stating in shock that “Antarctic climatology has been rewritten”. On the day this blog debate concluded we learned of an “unprecedented sixth mass coral bleaching event” in the Great Barrier Reef, with scientists demanding immediate action yet again. Continue reading >>
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21 March 2022
Comparative Climate Litigation in North-South Perspective
If the catastrophe we face is one “for the world and humanity”, isn’t it time to rethink some of our core beliefs regarding institutional roles and the role of the judiciary? If current institutional arrangements fail when addressing the global climate catastrophe, aren’t we in dire need of alternative approaches when thinking about the role of law and courts? We as editors of the forthcoming blog debate neither can nor want to provide answers to these questions here. Instead, we argue that we should look to the Global South for lessons when reflecting on the role of law and institutions in tackling the climate crisis. Continue reading >>
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