The International Court of Justice is often viewed as the world’s main judicial institution. Recently it has taken a historic step by issuing an advisory opinion which declares that states have legal obligations to mitigate climate change under international law. This decision, which was brought forth by a coalition of Pacific Island nations and supported by over 130 UN member …

The resumption of Saúl Luciano Lliuya’s decade-long lawsuit against German energy giant RWE marks a monumental moment in the global climate justice movement. As an Andean farmer and mountain guide from Peru, Lliuya’s plea to hold RWE accountable for the climate crisis transcends individual grievances—it is a call for systemic change with implications that could ripple across borders and industries. …

As the climate crisis is finally entering the global agenda, biodiversity conservation and environmental protection are slowly becoming priorities in order to mitigate the 21st century’s biggest threat. In this regard, particular attention is given to the ancestral knowledge of Indigenous communities and to their ability to promote nature-based solutions that effectively make their territories as some of the most …

One sector of the global economy is conspicuously absent from countries’ efforts in developing a plan to halt climate change: the world’s militaries. War and climate change are often discussed as separate crises, but they are deeply interconnected. The military is one of the world’s largest institutional emitters of greenhouse gases, yet its role in global carbon emissions is rarely …

Turkey and Greece’s disputes over maritime boundaries, territorial waters, and the rights to exploit natural gas and oil reserves in the Eastern Mediterranean are more important than ever. The European Union has an energy deficit due to the Russo-Ukrainian war, which requires reliable suppliers. Improving relations between Turkey and Greece is in the European Union’s interest, as the resources in …

The Europen Union’s supply chain vulnerability is a wake-up call we cannot ignore. The historical overreliance on one nation for critical raw materials has shown the defenselessness of the EU’s global supply chains. For example, China provides 97% of the magnesium, Chile provides 97% of the lithium, South Africa provides 93% of the iridium, and Brazil provides 92% of the …

As the global community grapples with the urgent need for sustainable practices, the European Union (EU), supposedly a leader in environmental initiatives, is under scrutiny for its sluggish progress in ensuring a green transition. Despite lofty promises and rhetoric, the EU’s actions thus far seem inadequate in addressing the pressing challenges of climate change. The first issue is delayed implementation. …

Background The environment and inflicting damage on the environment as a means or method of warfare is not new. Manipulating environmental conditions, such as instigating floods or using chemicals to harm the environment has existed throughout the decades. Indeed, deliberately inflicting harm on the environment can have considerable consequences in wartime especially on the civilian population and has been the …

Background  Following the 2011 nuclear disaster caused by a major earthquake and tsunami, Japan shut down all of its nuclear power plants. Following inspections and safety regulation reviews, the country is now opening up its nuclear facilities, including considering restarting operations at the world’s biggest nuclear power plant, Kashiwazaki-Kariwa. The decision opens up questions about the safety of nuclear power …

Background  Holding states responsible for failures to take adequate or sufficient action in order to limit the effects of climate change is an increasing litigation trend perceivable in multiple jurisdictions including the Netherlands, the United States, Germany and France. The most successful manifestation of this trend is arguably the Urgenda case, in which a Dutch Court ordered the Dutch government to cut …