Environmental

Links relating to the Magna Carta and the environment, as well as environmental rights.

The Guardian: Prince Charles: global pact on climate change could be Magna Carta for Earth

This article looks at Prince Charles’ call for a new set sustainable development targets to help combat global warming and the importance of the Paris conference where a new climate agreement is likely to be signed. You can read it here.

International Environmental Law Research Centre: Definition of an Environmental Right in a Human Rights Context

This academic paper covers the theoretical background of a right to environment, its contents and the different ways to achieve implementation of the norm through linking to human rights. You can read it here.

UNEP: Human Rights and the Environment: A Reassessment

This 39 page paper argues that environmental rights do not fit neatly into any single category or “generation” of human rights. They can be viewed from at least three perspectives, straddling all the various categories or generations of human rights. You can access the pdf here.

New Zealand Treasury Working Paper: Property Rights and Environmental Policy: A New Zealand Perspective

This 47 page paper from 2003 lays out a preliminary foundation for applying a property rights perspective to environmental policy issues facing New Zealand. While a little out of date, it does provide a unique and well researched perspective on environmental policy. You can read it here.

Joining the Aotearoa New Zealand Constitutional Debate: Constitutional Environmental Rights in our Future ‘Constitution’

This 149 page research paper looks at how best NZ can include an environmental protection regime in our future constitutional landscape and uses the experiences gained from international and regional human rights and environmental law treaties and other countries’ constitutions to help inform this inclusion. You can read the pdf here.

terre des hommes: Protecting Environmental Child Rights

This 32 page report examines the relationship between the rights of children and the rights of the environment and argues they are linked. It also provides a framework and recommendations for a child rights approach to environmental protection and sustainable development. You can download the report here.