03 July 2026
Anticipating a Climate Moment in Arusha
The forthcoming climate advisory opinion presents a historic opportunity for the AfCHPR to articulate a coherent and comprehensive African rights-based framework for climate governance. Given Africa’s particular vulnerability to climate change, the need for such guidance is especially pressing. By clarifying States’ obligations under the African Charter, the Arusha judges can strengthen climate accountability across the region and provide guidance to policymakers and domestic courts. Continue reading >>
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19 June 2026
Climate Change and the Environment at the Inter-American Court of Human Rights
The relationship between climate change and human rights has occupied international legal scholarship for more than two decades. Yet for much of that period, the relationship remained largely aspirational — acknowledged in soft-law instruments and scholarly commentary, but only partially operationalized by binding international adjudication. Advisory Opinion OC-32/25, adopted by the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACtHR or the Court) on May 29, 2025, marks a decisive shift in that landscape. Continue reading >>
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24 November 2025
Shaping the EU’s 2040 Climate Target
The EU appears close to enshrining its 2040 climate target in the European Climate Law, an important milestone in the EU’s journey toward the Law’s overarching goal of climate neutrality by 2050. However, the 2040 target will be less ambitious than recommended and not living up to standards of international fairness. Furthermore, important review and implementing provisions of the amended Climate Law will be weakened, along with existing substantive climate legislation. Continue reading >>
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15 May 2024
What Does the European Court of Human Rights’ First Climate Change Decision Mean for Climate Policy?
On 9 April the European Court of Human Rights issued its first ever comprehensive decision in a climate litigation case. The ECtHR has set out clear directions for member states to follow to align their climate policies with human rights obligations. Domestic legislators across Europe must give these requirements serious consideration to ensure their climate laws not only meet these minimum standards but also effectively contribute to global climate goals. This is imperative for both environmental sustainability and the protection of fundamental human rights that climate change is affecting. Continue reading >>
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09 May 2024
Not a Disaster, but a Missed Opportunity
Following lengthy negotiations within Germany’s coalition government, on 26 April 2024, the Bundestag passed an amendment to the Federal Climate Protection Act. One part of the amendment in particular has drawn sharp criticism from environmental NGOs, experts, and commentators: the abolition of annual, sector-based targets for greenhouse gas emissions reduction, which form the basis of the obligation for ministries to submit ‘immediate action programmes’ (Sofortprogramme). We argue that many critics overestimated the effectiveness of the Sofortprogramm mechanism, as enshrined in the original version of the KSG, in enforcing Germany's ambitious climate targets. Instead, we must realistically assess the potential, and limits, of institutional design to deliver ambitious climate policy. Continue reading >>
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03 January 2023