Climate Litigation and International Human Rights

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As the impact of climate change on individuals and societies has worsened, climate litigation based on human rights arguments has increased around the world. A new wave of litigation before national and regional courts, as well as international judicial and quasi-judicial bodies, seeks to hold governments accountable to the pledges they have made to reduce planet-warming emissions and adapt to the effects of climate change. While rights-based climate litigation is a relatively recent trend, existing lawsuits and rulings have already set important precedents and legal doctrines. They have also led to significant outcomes, such as increasing the ambition and urgency of decarbonization efforts and the reconsideration of infrastructure projects that are incompatible with the international scientific consensus and the goals of the Paris Agreement. This panel features analysts and litigants at the forefront of rights-based research and action from different regions of the world. They will discuss the origins, lessons, and future of this emerging field.

Panelists

Jolene Lin (National University of Singapore)
Pooven Modley (Natural Justice, South Africa)
Hasminah Paudac (Greenpeace, Philippines)
César Rodríguez-Garavito (NYU School of Law)
Joana Setzer (London School of Economics)
Dennis van Berkel (Urgenda, Netherlands)