Earth Law Center Blog
Small Island Developing States at International Climate Conferences: A Two-Step Approach to Advocacy
Small Island Developing States (SIDS) are among the most vulnerable nations to climate change, yet they often have inadequate capacity to staff their teams for international climate negotiations. In this article, American attorney Hope McLellan-Brandt details her experience working for Palau’s climate team at three such conferences and details the philosophy of advocacy she developed from the experience. At its core is deep listening to those at the front line of climate change.
Decades in the Making, the High Seas Treaty (BBNJ) Is Now Binding: What Happens Next?
The High Seas Treaty (BBNJ) represents a turning point for Ocean governance—but its success depends on what happens next. As nations prepare for the first Conference of the Parties (January 2027), they have a rare opening to shape domestic legislation that doesn’t just comply with the treaty's requirements but goes further, embedding Earth law principles into the governance of marine ecosystems. Whether that promise is realized will hinge on institutional capacity, political will, and the frameworks states choose to build now.
Ocean Rights and International Law: Five Things to Watch in 2026
With the RoN movement gaining momentum in Ocean governance, here are five of the most exciting Ocean-related developments to keep an eye on in 2026:
The entrance into force of the High Seas Treaty (BBNJ)
International Seabed Authority negotiations about deep-sea governance
Coral reefs rights developments
Lawsuits from Ocean guardians using Advisory Opinions in different courts
The Republic of Panama continues leading the way in Ocean protection
What If the High Seas Were a Country?
Imagined as a country, the Ocean would rank as the world’s fourth-largest economy, valued at approximately $24 trillion, and would exercise sovereignty over 70 percent of global territory. Dare we dream of an Ocean Nation—a government of representatives selected through expertise rather than nationality, a transboundary bioregion that can activate hard-fought Earth (and marine) law?
International Judicial Advisory Opinions, Ocean Rights, and the Legal Wave for Ocean Care
The world is experiencing an unprecedented moment of judicial involvement with the climate crisis. Within the span of 14 months, three international courts responded to requests to clarify states’ legal obligations on climate change. Together, these efforts and the courts’ opinions mark a turning point for environmental governance. They suggest that climate action is no longer just a political choice but a legal duty. This emerging legal wave could strengthen accountability and bridge the gap between environmental principles and practice. Because the health of the ocean underpins the planet’s climate stability, these advisory opinions may also reinforce a new legal and moral framework for ocean protection.
“We need fierce hope and fierce love”: Earth Law Center Interviews Astrid Puentes Riaño, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the human right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment
Using international law obligations for this work and for the defense of the environment and human rights is a big opportunity, and it has systematically helped in a lot of situations. I've seen not only Indigenous Peoples and communities but also governments using international law to strengthen their arguments to be able to advance the control, monitoring, and protection of the environment.
Earth Law Center at COP16: An Interview with Grant Wilson
The following interview was conducted by Earth Law Center (ELC) intern San Kwon with ELC Executive Director Grant Wilson, who attended the 2024 UN Biodiversity Conference (COP16) in Cali, Colombia, from October 21 to November 1, 2024.
COP16 was the sixteenth Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity, which was drafted in 1992 and is currently guided by the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, adopted in 2022.
Vanuatu Leads Recent Initiatives in the International Push for Environmental Justice
Vanuatu, a Small Island Developing State (SIDS) in the South Pacific Ocean, has recently spearheaded two major developments on the international level concerning the Rights of Nature and climate justice.
The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) passed a resolution requesting an advisory opinion by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to clarify the legal obligations of States concerning climate change. In addition, Vanuatu, along with Fiji and Samoa, have asked the International Criminal Court (ICC) to consider ecocide an international crime.
This blog post details these important developments and their significance for the international community.
Could “Harmony with Nature” Overtake “Sustainable Development” as the UN’s Primary Environmental Ideal?
This post examines the history of the concepts “Sustainable Development” and “Harmony with Nature” at the United Nations, and argues that it is time to embrace the latter as a non-anthropocentric environmental ideal.
Nine Important Results from the Escazú COP3
Progress updates on implementation of the Escazú Agreement, which is the first international treaty in history to enshrine rights for those considered defenders of Nature, in order to reinforce the protection of human rights in environmental matters. Likewise, it promotes the implementation of management and governance mechanisms in environmental matters, involving vulnerable groups such as youth, women, and Indigenous peoples in the process.
ELC Latin America Team to Cohost Official Side Event at Escazú Agreement COP 3 (Zoom webinar registration link below)
ELC Latin America Team to Cohost Official Side Event at Escazú Agreement COP 3 (Zoom webinar; registration link below)