The past few years have witnessed environmental issues intersecting with human rights concerns, touching virtually every aspect of international law. The Republic of Vanuatu led the charge for an ICJ advisory opinion on climate change with reference to major human rights treaties. Youth groups have taken their grievances before human rights courts and treaty bodies, staking the claims of future generations. Many lawyers see prospects for environmental protection under the weighty umbrella of criminal law, campaigning to incorporate the crime of ecocide within the ambit of the International Criminal Court. Meanwhile, international law continues to struggle with addressing the corporate form, and debates rage about the relationship between capital and human rights, in a paradigm where extractive industries have substantially degraded the natural world.
Amidst this accelerating convergence in all areas of law, HHRJ’s Special Edition invites legal scholars and practitioners from all jurisdictions, and who work at the intersection of environment and human rights, to submit contributions to our Special Edition. Specific guidelines are found here: https://harvardhrj.com/specialedition/.