The CRRP blog features current developments, new publications, calls for papers and event announcements from around the world relevant to the climate and human rights context.
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Bonaire Climate Case: Creative or Questionable Interpretation of International Climate Law?
Pranav Ganesan, PhD Candidate at the University of Zurich The Greenpeace Netherlands v. State of the Netherlands(Bonaire) judgment of the Hague District Court has stolen the limelight as the new posterchild for strategic climate litigation. The plaintiff in this case, Greenpeace Netherlands, argued that the Dutch government failed in its duty to protect the residents…
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Pabai Tells: Judicial Signposting for Relief
By Esther Gabriel, Juris Doctor, Harvard Law School, Visiting Scholar at the CRRP Pabai v. Commonwealth of Australia sits as a defining national case within the broader Torres Strait Islander litigation context. It follows two successful judgements. First, Daniel Billy and others v. Australia (Torres Strait Islanders Petition), decided by United Nations Human Rights Committee,…
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Does the ICJ Ignite States’ ‘Appetite’ for Climate Damages Claims?
Viktoriya Gurash, postdoctoral researcher at the University of Zurich Introduction In response to the International Court of Justice’s (ICJ) advisory opinion on the Obligations of States in Respect of Climate Change, the BBC summarized the opinion by stating that ‘a top UN court has cleared the way for countries to sue each other over climate…
Read moreThe ICJ’s Interpretation of the Paris Agreement
Pranav Ganesan, PhD candidate at the University of Zurich Introduction The ICJ, in its advisory opinion on the Obligations of States in respect of Climate Change (AO), makes several notable findings which are worth unpacking and assessing. In this blogpost, I will comment upon some of the Court’s findings related to the interpretation of states’…
Read moreThe ICJ’s Advisory Opinion on Climate Change: Treaty and Custom – A Marriage with a Complicated Matrimonial Regime
Violetta Sefkow-Werner, PhD candidate at the University of Zurich On 24 July 2025, the ICJ issued its long-awaited Advisory Opinion on the Obligations of States in respect of Climate Change. This blog post comments on the Opinion with respect to the ICJ’s findings (or non-findings) on the interaction between treaty and customary law and the…
Read moreThe ICJ’s Cautious Approach to Extraterritorial Human Rights Obligations in the Climate Context
By Ayyoub (Hazhar) Jamali, postdoctoral researcher at the University of Zurich 1. What the Court Said In its Advisory Opinion of 23 July 2025, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) addressed, among other matters, the scope of States’ obligations under international human rights law in relation to climate change. A central, though implicitly framed, issue was…
Read moreShell Wins Appeal Against Dutch Emissions Cut Ruling
By Ayyoub (Hazhar) Jamali, postdoctoral researcher at the University of Zurich In a landmark decision from the Netherlands, an appeals court has ruled in favor of Shell, overturning a previous order requiring the company to slash its carbon emissions by 45% by 2030. The verdict not only grants Shell a reprieve from immediate, stringent emissions targets…
Read moreUK Supreme Court Mandates Inclusion of Downstream Emissions in Environmental Impact Assessments
By Ayyoub (Hazhar) Jamali, postdoctoral researcher at the University of Zurich Introduction On 20 June 2024, the UK Supreme Court delivered a landmark judgment in the case of R (on the application of Finch on behalf of the Weald Action Group) v Surrey County Council and others. This decision, reached by a majority of 3…
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The Value of IPCC Reports in Shaping Climate Change Jurisprudence
By Ayyoub (Hazhar) Jamali, postdoctoral researcher at the University of Zurich In recent months, two international courts have recognised climate change-related obligations under two different legal regimes. In the case of Verein KlimaSeniorinnen Schweiz and Others v Switzerland, the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) has found that the right to life and the right…
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ECtHR and ITLOS on Climate Change: A Common Approach to Climate Treaties?
By Pranav Ganesan, PhD candidate at the University of Zurich Two international courts have now recognized the existence of climate change-related obligations under two different legal regimes. The European Court of Human Rights (‘ECtHR’), in the case of Verein KlimaSeniorinenn Schweiz and others v Switzerland (‘KS’) has found that the right to life and right…
Read moreLandmark ITLOS advisory opinion on climate change
By Ayyoub (Hazhar) Jamali, postdoctoral researcher at the University of Zurich Summary: On 12 December 2022, the Co-Chairs of the Commission of Small Island States on Climate Change and International Law formally requested an advisory opinion from the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS). This request sought to clarify the obligations of…
Read moreAccess to Court for Climate Litigation: Analysis of KlimaSeniorinnen Schweiz v Switzerland (Part 3 of 3)
By Pranav Ganesan, PhD candidate at the University of Zurich This is the third and final part of the three-part series of blogposts summarizing and analysing the European Court of Human Right’s (‘ECtHR’) judgment in the case of Verein KlimaSeniorinnen Schweiz and Others v Switzerland (click here for part 1, and here for part 2).…
Read moreContent of Climate Obligations & Compliance: Analysis of KlimaSeniorinnen Schweiz v Switzerland (Part 2 of 3)
By Pranav Ganesan, PhD candidate at the University of Zurich This blogpost is the second in a three-part series summarizing and analysing the judgment of the European Court of Human Rights (‘ECtHR’) in the case of Verein KlimaSeniorinnen Schweiz and Others v Switzerland (click here for part 1, on admissibility). Here, I will analyse the…
Read moreNot Just Another ECtHR Judgment: Analysis of KlimaSeniorinnen Schweiz v Switzerland (Part 1 of 3)
By Pranav Ganesan, PhD candidate at the University of Zurich The European Court of Human Right’s (‘ECtHR’) judgment in the case of Verein KlimaSeniorinnen Schweiz and Others v Switzerland (including the partially dissenting opinion of Judge Tim Eicke) is a whopping 250 pages long, making it the longest judicial opinion on climate change to date!…
Read moreClimate Justice Denied? European Court of Human Rights Rules Against Portuguese Youth Climate Case
By Ayyoub (Hazhar) Jamali, postdoctoral researcher at the University of Zurich In a landmark case that garnered global attention, six Portuguese youth took a bold step on 2 September 2020, filing a complaint with the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) against 33 countries of the Council of Europe. Their objective was to hold these…
Read moreCarême v. France: Inadmissibility decision by the ECtHR’s Grand Chamber
By Dr. Viktoriya Gurash, postdoctoral researcher at the University of Zurich Today, on 9 April 2024, the European Court of Human Rights issued a Grand Chamber decision in Carême v. France, unanimously declaring the applicant’s complaints under Articles 2 and 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights inadmissible ratione personae. The Court, first, noted…
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The Portuguese Children’s Case – Shared Responsibility for the Human Rights Impacts of Climate Change
By Dr. Viktoriya Gurash, postdoctoral researcher at the University of Zurich On 27 September 2023, the Grand Chamber of the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) heard the Duarte Agostinho case, brought by six young Portuguese people born between 1999 and 2012. This case involves 33 Contracting Parties of the Council of Europe as defendants.…
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IPCC Synthesis Report AR6 release: a clear message of urgency and hope, increasing pressure on Governments to take equitable climate action
At the end of its 58th session, taking place in Interlaken, Switzerland, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released the Synthesis Report of the Sixth Assessment Cycle on Monday, March 20, 2023. On the dedicated official website, the Summary for Policy Makers (SPM) and the longer report are now available, together with the figures representing…
Read moreSmall Island States push for answers on Climate Change from the ICJ and ITLOS
On 12 December 2022, the International Tribunal on the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) received a request for an advisory opinion on the interpretation of the obligation to preserve and protect the marine environment under the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) in relation to climate change impacts such as ocean…
Read moreUNGA recognizes the right to a healthy environment
On 28 July 2022, the UN General Assembly adopted a Resolution (A/RES/76/300, not yet published) recognizing the human right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment. The Resolution recognizes the human right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment, and its relationship with other human rights and existing norms of international law. It passed without…
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