UN committee publishes authoritative guidance on children's rights amidst climate crisis
The United Nations (UN) Committee on the Rights of the Child on Monday published authoritative guidance concerning children’s rights with respect to the environment amidst growing concerns of climate change. The guidance urges member states to swiftly implement intervention measures to address the adverse impacts of environmental degradation and protect children’s right to a clean [...]
Human Rights Watch (HRW) released a report Monday critiquing the Panamanian government’s lax efforts to assist coastal indigenous peoples in the country with relocation as their ancestral homelands are destroyed by climate change. The report focuses on the island of Gardi Sugdub and the Guna people living on it. The residents of Gardi Sugdub have [...]
Spain Supreme Court upholds national climate and energy plan
Spain’s Supreme Court dismissed a lawsuit on Thursday challenging the Integrated National Energy and Climate Plan (PNIEC), which set Spain’s climate and energy proposals. The court found that the plan is in accordance with the law and commitments made by the EU, despite several environmental groups’ insistence that it is arbitrary. At present, the PNIEC [...]
The US Supreme Court ruled Thursday that an 1868 peace treaty between the US government and the Navajo Tribe does not require the government to secure water access for the tribe. In a 5-4 ruling in Arizona v. Navajo Nation, the court found that, while the treaty assures the tribe’s access to water from various [...]
Italy environmental activists to pay damages to Vatican after gluing their hands to ancient statute
The Tribunal of Vatican City State ordered two Italian activists Monday to pay 28,148 euros in restitution for the damages caused by their protest. The court found that two members of Ultima Generazione (Last Generation), Guido Viero and Ester Goffi, damaged the base of the Gruppo del Laocoonte (Laocoön Group) statute inside the Vatican Museum, [...]
Canadian law students are reporting for JURIST on national and international developments in and affecting Canada. Mélanie Cantin is JURIST’s Chief Correspondent for Canada and a rising 3L at the University of Ottawa. Wildfires are currently burning in large portions of Québec, British Columbia, and eastern Canada, with dozens of communities across the nation issuing [...]
The UK Bar Council on Wednesday called on peers in the House of Lords to reject the “deeply flawed” Illegal Migration Bill. The second reading of the bill took place in the House of Lords this afternoon and saw the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby make representations as to the immorality of the bill. This [...]
Biden administration proposes climate regulations to lower US vehicle emissions
The Biden administration Wednesday unveiled two initiatives aimed at decreasing passenger and heavy duty vehicle emissions. The Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) proposed rule making details two initiatives to target greenhouse gas emissions from vehicles, applying to model years 2027 to 2032. Those affected by the rule include vehicle manufacturers and vehicle importers. The White House [...]
The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) Wednesday heard oral arguments in two cases in which the applicants are accusing their respective governments, France and Switzerland, of failing to take steps to prevent climate change. Both applicants argue that this failure entails a breach of their right to life and right to respect for family [...]
Berlin referendum to secure climate neutrality by 2030 unsuccessful
Citizens of Berlin, Germany Sunday voted in a referendum to amend the Berlin Climate Protection and Energy Transition Act. However, the amendment was rejected as not enough voters supported the proposal to bring forward Berlin’s climate neutrality deadline to 2030. In order for the proposal to succeed, a majority of voters had to vote in [...]
