The Project for an International Environmental Court

Intellectual and political support to establish a specialised International Tribunal for the Environment or an International Court for the Environment has ebbed and flowed since its first conception in the late 1980s, and appears to be increasing hesitantly again, buoyed by scientific consensus of anthropocentric climate change and the risks to humanity from environmental harm. Even if the project for an international environmental tribunal or court ultimately succeeds, which will depend on the values of society, national and political self-interest and the influence of decision-makers, its realisation will be a long-term endeavour. This chapter considers the case and options for creating such institutions. It invites reflection on the adequacy of existing international institutions and structures to address modern disputes impacting the environment and contemplates how a new, carefully designed, specialised adjudicative body for the environment might function within, and complement, the global dispute settlement system