Strengths and Shortcomings of Climate Change Litigation: An Empirical Analysis of Stakeholder Perspectives
Keywords:
Human Rights Justifications; Climate Litigation; Civil Society Engagement; Gender; Intersectionality; European UnionAbstract
This article investigates how diverse actors - judicial authorities, policy officials, and civil society representatives - perceive the potential benefits and shortcomings of climate change litigation when anchored in human rights frameworks. Grounded in the Horizon Europe “HRJust” project, our study employs a mixed-methods approach combining semi‑structured interviews and a research survey. We identify core advantages of rights-based litigation, including its ability to frame climate as a human rights issue, pressure policymakers, raise public awareness, empower civil society, and advance legal development. Conversely, stakeholders flagged significant gaps, including restricted access to justice, inadequate financial and technical resources, limited judicial climate knowledge, weak legal frameworks, and insufficient enforcement mechanisms. By synthesising stakeholder-informed insights and comparing them with the relevant academic literature, this article aims to add an empirical perspective on climate change litigation.
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