Blog Posts
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On Environmental Democracy and the Collisons’ “Abundance-Verse”
Andrew Jackson 21 November 2025 I. Introduction A clamour of praise greeted John Collison’s “how to get Ireland moving” Op-Ed following its publication in the Irish Times on 25th October: the Irish Times’ Political Editor described the piece as “considered, informed and pertinent,” and this appears to have reflected the views of a considerable number. Continue reading
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What Does Climate Coloniality Have to Do with the DRC and the Energy Transition? A TWAIL Reflection
Maryam Yabo My interest in climate justice stems from many places, but one of the most personal is being from Nigeria, where the most devastating impacts of fossil fuel extraction, especially in the Niger-Delta, are a constant part of public consciousness. Growing up, stories of oil spills, environmental destruction, and community displacement were impossible to Continue reading
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Blog Post: What do human rights have to do with turf cutting on Irish peatlands?
Alessandra Accogli I was recently asked this question by a friend and fellow researcher seeking to better understand my doctoral work. Her curiosity sparked the idea for this short piece. My PhD thesis, titled “Legal Protection of Carbon Sinks: Balancing Climate, Ecosystem, and Human Rights Considerations through a Case Study of Peatlands in Ireland”, examines Continue reading
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Blog Post: Indian Constitutionalism in the Last Decade and Climate Change
Chhaya Bhardwaj Environmental constitutionalism in India is mainly aimed at achieving sustainable development, which means striking a balance between ecological protection and development, primarily economic development. The Vellore Citizens Forum v. Union of India (1996) is considered a landmark decision as it expanded the interpretation of the right to life, guaranteed under Article 21 of Continue reading
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Blog Post: From Blue Zone to Courtroom: Some Reflections on Loss and Damage, Liability, and the Case for Climate Reparations
Patrick Toussaint Loss and damage from climate change is no longer a future scenario but the lived reality for millions around the world. And yet, despite over three decades of multilateral negotiations under the UNFCCC, the legal and financial infrastructure to redress climate harms remains strikingly inadequate. The disconnect between the moral weight of climate Continue reading
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Blog Post: So what if rights of nature are prone to performativity – is that necessarily a bad thing?
Julián Suárez PhD Researcher, UCC School of Law julian.suarez@umail.ucc.ie A new version of the Eco-Jurisprudence Monitor map has been recently updated. It has documented 495 rights of nature initiatives in 40 countries and territories across the globe, of which roughly 98 are approved constitutional provisions, case law, statute or indigenous law rights of nature legal Continue reading
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Blog Post: Pollution, Human Rights, and Standing: Key Takeaways from Cannavacciuolo v. Italy
Candice Maharaj On 30 January 2025, the ECtHR delivered its judgment in the case of Cannavacciuolo and Others v Italy. This case involved decades-long, widespread pollution brought about by the illegal dumping, burying, abandonment, and burning of hazardous waste (largely by organised criminal groups) in parts of the Campania region, colloquially referred to as “Terra Continue reading
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Blog Post: An analysis of the Climate Action and Biodiversity (Mandates of Certain Organisations) Bill 2023
Jamie McLoughlin Introduction It has by now been well established that Ireland – like the rest of the world – is facing grave climate and biodiversity crises. Indeed, the Dáil declared a climate and biodiversity ‘emergency’ in May 2019. The need for concrete action to tackle climate breakdown and biodiversity loss is beyond dispute. In Continue reading
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Blog Post: Gender Shaping Climate Change – Courts, Data, and Harm
Christie Nicoson There is a notable gender imbalance in climate decision-making, with only around 20% of countries sending women to the United Nations climate negotiations,[1] and court decisions have down-played that people of different genders experience harm from climate change differently. Recently, a group of 2,000 Swiss women brought a ‘landmark’ case seeking to hold Continue reading
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Blog Post: Some Thoughts on the Green Claims Directive
Calum MacLaren A recent European Commission report revealed that 53% of green claims by EU companies are misleading or vague, 40% lack substantive evidence and half of all green labels offer weak or non-existent verification. In response, the Commission has introduced the Green Claims Directive (GCD), a legislative initiative aimed at tackling these practices. Working Continue reading
Environmental Law and Justice 