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This research paper by the Center for International Environmental Law and EURONATURA proposes a two-tiered compliance regime for the Kyoto Protocol, distinguishing between a facilitative approach during the first commitment period and an enforcement phase following it. The authors argue for a system that prioritizes capacity building and 'making the climate whole' through mechanisms like a Clean Development Fund and compliance reserves to address substantive non-compliance.

This research paper analyzes a 1991 General Agreements on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) dispute resolution panel decision regarding a U.S. embargo on Mexican tuna. The panel found that the U.S. Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) violated GATT by imposing quantitative restrictions on imports. The authors examine the legal conflict between international trade rules and environmental protections, arguing that the decision limits the ability of nations to enforce environmental standards on imported products unless those standards affect the physical makeup of the product or its sale.

This legal briefing by the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) argues that the export of pesticides banned or not approved in their countries of origin—specifically from Europe to Africa and Central America—violates international law, including the Basel Convention, the Bamako Convention, and the Central American Agreement, as well as international human rights obligations.

This research paper examines the conceptual and legal intersections between international human rights law and international environmental law, focusing on the Inter-American System of Human Rights. The author argues that while the two regimes historically differed in approach—human rights being anthropocentric and environmental law oscillating between anthropocentric and biocentric—they are increasingly integrated. The document analyzes how human rights tools, such as precautionary measures and state responsibility for the acts of third parties, are used to protect environmental rights and reviews regional jurisprudence from the Inter-American, African, and European systems to illustrate the environmental dimensions of the rights to life, property, and information.

This research paper by Claudia Saladin for the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) analyzes the Convention on Access to Information, Public Participation in Decision-Making and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters (the Public Participation Convention) and argues that its transparency and accountability requirements should apply to export credit agencies (ECAs).

This research paper explores the conceptual evolution of 'international environmental law' toward a framework of 'global environmental law,' arguing that the traditional state-centric approach is insufficient for addressing planetary ecological crises. The author advocates for a shift toward 'global citizenship' and the recognition of the 'global citizen' as a subject of law to ensure the protection of the global commons and the sustainability of the biosphere.

This briefing by the Center for International Environmental Law outlines several reform options for Investor-State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) to be considered by UNCITRAL Working Group III. The document argues that current ISDS mechanisms are asymmetrical, often ignoring state obligations and public interest, and proposes alternatives such as multilateral treaty termination, the allowance of state counterclaims, public interest carve-outs, 'clean hands' clauses for investors, the requirement to exhaust local remedies, and expanded third-party access to proceedings.

The FSD Africa Supplier and Grantee Code of Conduct establishes ethical, environmental, and social standards for all entities providing goods or services to FSD Africa. The document defines a tiered compliance system based on contract value, with more stringent requirements and monitoring for higher-value partners, focusing on value for money, human rights, and climate risk management.

This research paper examines the legal perspectives surrounding the effects of climate change in Africa, specifically focusing on the role of environmental law and legal mechanisms as tools to enforce policy decisions and shape human behavior regarding the environment.

This case study by Natural Justice examines the legal attempt by the High Court of Uttarakhand to grant legal personhood to the Ganges and Yamuna rivers to protect them from pollution and encroachment, and the subsequent stay of that order by the Supreme Court of India.

This report details the achievements of the African Activists for Climate Justice (AACJ) project in Senegal, implemented by a consortium including Natural Justice, PACJA, Oxfam, AYC, and RECODEF. Funded by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the project (May 2021 – December 2025) aims to democratize climate change debates, influence public policy, and promote inter- and intra-generational climate justice through community participation and legal empowerment.

This report analyzes the legal and institutional frameworks for protecting traditional knowledge (TK) in Mozambique, focusing on biodiversity, cultural heritage, and traditional medicine. It identifies a significant gap between high-level policy commitments and functional regulatory frameworks, noting that while Mozambique has ratified international agreements like the Nagoya Protocol, it lacks specific, operational laws to prevent the misappropriation of TK. The document highlights ongoing efforts to revise the 2007 Access and Benefit-Sharing (ABS) regulation and the potential for using geographical indications and academic partnerships to safeguard community knowledge.

Natural Justice provides a series of recommendations to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) to improve its draft policy on Environmental Human Rights Defenders, focusing on increasing the accessibility of reporting channels, reducing bureaucratic delays in response times, and enhancing protections for marginalized groups.

This report details the key achievements of the African Activists for Climate Justice (AACJ) project between 2021 and 2023. Implemented by a consortium including Natural Justice, PACJA, Oxfam Novib, the African Youth Commission, and FEMNET/RECODEF, and funded by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the project aims to democratize climate change debate and promote inter- and intra-generational climate justice. The document highlights various activities in Senegal and West Africa, including legal empowerment training, judicial capacity building, community audits of industrial impacts, and the creation of youth and women-led climate movements.

This guide, published by Natural Justice, provides an introduction to the international legal frameworks that recognize and support the traditional knowledge and customary sustainable use of biodiversity by indigenous peoples and local communities. It focuses primarily on the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), detailing specific articles, voluntary instruments, and other international declarations that grant rights and responsibilities to communities and governments.

This report provides a comparative analysis of environmental legislation across the EU, UK, US, Canada, and New Zealand, focusing on the scope of environmental laws, the explicit mention of climate change, and the mechanisms for impact assessments.