Q&A: Climate Change, Human Rights, and International Law: An Interview with Prof. Miriam Cohen

Most people consider climate change a top-down responsibility. We look to governments to create policies and demonstrate the leadership that can make the large-scale changes necessary to reduce waste and emissions that contribute to environmental degradation. However, citizens, communities, and small states are increasingly using domestic and international courts to draw attention to the real-world implications of climate change and their impact on human rights around the world.

On 9 April 2024, the European Court of Human Rights ruled that Switzerland’s inadequate approach to mitigating climate change had violated the human rights of the KlimaSeniorinnen, a group of more than 2,000 women who had argued that climate change represented a significant threat to their health.

On 21 May 2024, the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) delivered an advisory opinion on a case brought by the Commission of Small Island States on Climate Change and International Law (COSIS). The tribunal opined that nations have the responsibility to protect the marine environment from the impact of climate change.