09 November 2026
A Renewed Mandate to Do Better
On 4 November 2026, ten days after Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva won a fourth presidential term, the Brazilian COP30 Presidency published two roadmaps: one on transitioning away from fossil fuels and one on halting and reversing deforestation by 2030. Brazil had promised them at the close of COP30 in Belém, after efforts to include a reference to a fossil fuel roadmap in the negotiated outcome failed. Both documents are voluntary and sit outside the formal UN process. Yet they also set a benchmark against which Brazil’s own record can be read. Continue reading >>
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09 October 2025
The Shape of Things to Come
While global meat governance currently faces significant political obstacles to transformative change, early signs point toward a shift toward a more sustainable and responsible global food system. The extension of legal principles such as the no-harm rule to climate change, the emergence of a global governance complex, normative frameworks like One Health, and the recent proliferation of policy initiatives may even signal the early formation of a new global food system architecture. Driven by bottom-up forces, these developments have the potential to reshape current practices and advance sustainable meat governance. Continue reading >>
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12 September 2025
From Sidelines to Center Stage
The trilogy of climate advisory opinions from the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea, Inter-American Court of Human Rights, and the International Court of Justice marks a watershed moment not only for climate litigation but also for understanding the evolving role of Conferences of the Parties (COPs) in international law. This post analyses the courts' engagement with COPs and argues that it represents another step in clarifying their institutional role in global governance – one that elevates these treaty bodies from largely diplomatic forums to authoritative interpreters and potentially norm-creators within treaty regimes. Continue reading >>
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