On the power of formation: A revitalised case for a global environmental organisation

By Aaron L. Ramcharan

“Formation” may be defined as “an act of giving form or shape”. In international environmental governance, matters of form and shape are constitutive.

Whether the formation of a global environmental organisation (GEO) is needed is a question that implicates the most important elements of existing environmental governance at the international level. In this post, a revitalised case for such an organisation is presented. The post argues that a global environmental organisation may be needed because such a body would contribute three primary components to international environmental governance: (1) enhance inclusive participation, (2) resolve dangerous policy conflicts within the UN system, and (3) capitalise on existing political momentum. At its root, the impetus for a global environmental organisation is based in a scientific assessment of existing ecological conditions and a call for invigorated political leadership. The revitalised case comes at a time when post-pandemic political momentum offers an opportunity to expand established arguments about the advantages of using a GEO to address interlinked global environmental challenges.

Continue reading “Law & The Environment Writing Competition 2.0”

 

edible insects  – good for our health and the planet?

 

By Julia Gieseck

While eating insects is already commonplace in many Asian, African, and Latin American countries, the thought of insect pasta, insect protein bars, or insect condiments and spreads still triggers a ‘yuck’ from most Europeans and North Americans. A 2021 Statista Global Consumer Survey undertaken in Germany found that only around 25% of consumers would consider eating insects. In comparison, 37% of those surveyed would consider eating cell-cultured meat (also known as lab-grown meat), which is another alternative to traditional meat production and, like insects, evokes feelings of disgust in many (meat) eaters.

Continue reading “Food and the Environment”

 

EU mandatory human rights due diligence

 

By Ella Bailey

Readers passionate about human rights may be familiar with that sinking feeling when they open their inbox to find a new petition about another abuse committed, another person facing the death penalty, another innocent imprisoned on unfounded charges, another pipeline, another dirty dealWhen will Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe  get home? When will we stop investing in destructive industries? Emails pour in every week from Amnesty, Reprieve, SumOfUs – the list goes on. But sometimes, just often enough to keep from losing heart, there is a silver lining.

Continue reading “EU Developments”

 

Stolen Childhoods – youth activism in the climate crisis 

By Abigail Hedges

From Fridays for Future school strikes to her now infamous speech in the UN, you’d be hard pushed to find anyone who hasn’t heard of Greta Thunberg as the face of youth climate action. But Greta is not alone. Her outraged cries of “how dare you!” in the UN echo the shouts of children across the globe whose childhoods are being decimated by the devasting effects of climate change and whose futures on this planet look uncertain at best.

Whilst youth activists call louder than ever for our world leaders to take more radical climate action, the question arises – will they listen?

Continue reading “Youth Activism”

New life for old goods – the eu’s battle with our IRREPARABLE electronics

By George Bandy 

How long should we expect our electronics to last? And what can we do when they break? These are not only questions for ensuring happy customers but are also an essential part of tackling overconsumption and excessive waste. Unfortunately, two things with which Europe is very familiar.

Continue reading “The Right to Repair”

 

extinguishing the flares of death: how the escazú agreement may enhance rights protection and access to justice

By Dorothy Puga

At 400 °C, around 447 gas flares, known as ‘flares of death,’ are constantly burning in the heart of the Ecuadorian Amazon, a long-standing practice by which the oil industry burns the byproducts of their oil extraction activities. Reports have confirmed that flaring results in highly pollutant gases like methane, which “erupt as a giant flame from a vertical gas pipe just meters from an oil well head.” Aside from constituting an environmentally detrimental practice, gas flaring is most likely responsible for the high cancer rates in the area, mainly populated by Indigenous communities. On January 26, 2021, an appeals court in Ecuador ruled in favor of nine children by declaring gas flaring unconstitutional and finding a violation of Ecuador’s international obligations under the Paris Agreement and the plaintiffs’ right to a healthy environment.

Continue reading “The Escazú Agreement”

 

Interview conducted and written by Keila McFarland Dias

 

Business and Human Rights lawyer Camila Manfredini de Abreu represented the victims of the Fundão Disaster in a case against BHP, the Anglo-Australian mining company that operates in Brazil by the contractor Samarco. On 5 November 2015, the Fundão tailings dam collapsed in Minas Gerais, Brazil, unleashing approximately 60 million cubic metres of toxic waste, which became the nation’s most devastating environmental disaster.

Continue reading “Environmental Destruction, Business and Human Rights”

CLIMATE CHANGE, INTERSECTIONAL JUSTICE AND PEOPLE ON THE AUTISM SPECTRUM

 

By Celina Pinagé  (English and Portuguese versions)

In recent years, the narrative revolving around climate change has been amplified to encompass dialogues concerning groups and communities that are disproportionately burdened by the environmental crisis. However, there is virtually no consideration when it comes to how people on the autism spectrum are affected by environmental hazards caused by global warming.

Continue reading “Climate change and people on the spectrum”

 

A green future for cryptocurrency? 

 

By George Bandy 

Whether it’s been the uncertainty surrounding traditional stock investments, challenges faced by national authorities in the wake of the pandemic, public endorsement by celebrities and financial institutions, or the more primal lure of making a small fortune overnight, interest in cryptocurrency has skyrocketed since the beginning of the year and sees its adoption inch further into the mainstream.

Continue reading “Environmental impact of cryptocurrencies”