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Submission to the Call for Input of UN Special Rapporteur on the Human Right to a Healthy Environment Astrid Puentes Riaño: Visit to Ireland – 9-20 February 2026
Dublin, 10 December 2025 This submission is prepared by Alessandra Accogli and Diarmuid Torney from the Institute for Climate and Society at Dublin City University (DCU) and Candice Maharaj, Amy Strecker, Amanda Byer and Andrew Jackson on behalf of the Environmental Law and Justice Group at University College Dublin (UCD) Sutherland School of Law. There… Continue reading
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‘Greening’ Constitutional Rights in Ireland? Byrne v Abo Energy Ireland Ltd [2025] IEHC 330
Jamie McLoughlin Introduction In ‘Climate Case Ireland’, Clarke CJ, writing for a unanimous seven-judge Supreme Court expressed the view, albeit obiter, that the Irish Constitution does not protect a derived right to a healthy environment. However, he also indicated that express constitutional rights, like the right to life (Article 40.3), the right to the inviolability… Continue reading
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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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Black History Month
Amanda Byer In honour of Black History Month, we’re highlighting ten black writers whose contributions reveal the entangled histories of environmentalism and civil rights, reimagine the natural world and advance the critical discourse around environmental justice: 1. Malcom Ferdinand: Decolonial Ecology: Thinking from the Caribbean World —— 1 —— —— 2 —— —— 3 ——… Continue reading
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ELAJ Summer Reading List
With the academic year coming to a close, the ELAJ blog will be pausing for a short summer break, returning in September. In the meantime, we’ve curated a summer reading list featuring some of our group’s favorite picks to keep you entertained over the break. 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
Environmental Law and Justice 