Theorising the New Age of Environmental Human Rights Law Conference
17th – 18th September, Lancaster Castle
The 2020s are becoming a pivotal decade for international environmental human rights law. Almost every major international human rights body has recently pronounced on the relationship between human rights and climate change (or is due to do so shortly). At the same time, there has been a rapid growth in theorising about the philosophical foundations of environmental human rights. This theorising has informed the arguments of practitioners, shaped climate change advisory opinions, and been cited in judicial opinions. This conference will examine how recent developments in the legal practice should be understood at the level of theory.
The aims are: to support the publication of high-quality research outputs through critical discussion and informed peer review; to nurture interdisciplinary links across law, philosophy, and political science; to build a research network to advance theorising about environmental human rights; and to foster the learning and development of postgraduate researchers (PGRs) in this field.
There will be four themes:
- The philosophical foundations of the right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment
- Contested right-holders: future generations, peoples, and the ‘more-than-human’
- Theorising the rights-turn in climate change litigation
- The courts and democracy: legitimacy, institutional competence, and the separation of powers
On the final afternoon of the conference there will be a dedicated roundtable session designed to foreground the work and professional development of PGRs. This session will provide a supportive, high-profile platform for PGRs to present and discuss their research in dialogue with established scholars participating in the conference.
Key dates
Abstract submission deadline: 6 July 2026
Notification of acceptance: 13 July 2026
PGR discussion paper deadline: 21 August 2026
Conference: 17–18 September 2026
Call for papers
The call for papers is open (please click the button below).