International Law Commons^™

Keynote Address For The Cox International Law Center Conference, James Chen

Case Western Reserve Journal of International Law

No abstract provided.

Deadly Journeys: Climate Change, U.S. Border Enforcement, And Human Rights, Julia Neusner

Case Western Reserve Journal of International Law

Extreme weather events and slow onset disasters, exacerbated by climate change, are increasingly driving global displacement. As displaced people seek cross-border protection in unprecedented numbers, the United States has responded by tightening border controls and restricting asylum access. These policies have exposed migrants and asylum seekers in transit to greater risks of injury and death due to the impacts of climate change and climate-related disasters. Drawing on legal analysis, historical context, and firsthand interviews with people seeking U.S. asylum, this Article examines the implications of U.S. policies that limit freedom of movement and asylum access. The Article raises critical legal …

Climate Rights In Brazil And The United States: A Convergence In Contrasts, James R. May, Marcelo Buzaglo Dantas, Luciana Bauer

Case Western Reserve Journal of International Law

This Article offers three quick takeaways. First is the utility of rights-based approaches to climate change. As evidence of climate change grows, international and domestic law are rushing to keep pace. ...

Second is the value of borrowing. Courts look and listen to other courts. As the political processes at both domestic and international levels have failed to protect against climate change, whether by action or inaction, a growing number of courts—led by those in Brazil, the United States, and elsewhere—have tried to catalyze more robust and effective government responses. ...

Last is implementation. Without a strategy for operationalizing these …

Ecocide In War And Peace, From The Air Pollution Consequences Of The War In Ukraine To Japan's Disposal Of Fukushima Water Into The Ocean, Giovanni Chiarini

Case Western Reserve Journal of International Law

This Article will propose and analyze potentially prosecutable cases of alleged global ecocide and propose targeted amendments to Articles 36(3) and (5) of the ICC Rome Statute. These proposed amendments may serve as a blueprint to procedurally ensure environmental expertise at the international judicial level. Ecocide is unfortunately not currently recognized under the Rome Statute. However, certain scholars have suggested defining it as a fifth international crime. This analysis identifies environmental crises, international criminal law expectations and examines the environmental pollution caused by the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the Japanese government’s decision to dispose of radioactive treated water from …

Regulating The "Unregulated": The European Union And United Kingdom Have Put In Place Anti-Money Laundering Directives For The Art Market. Should The United States Follow?, Lauren A. Turner

Case Western Reserve Journal of International Law

No abstract provided.

Crimes Against The Environment, Ecocide, And The International Criminal Court, Milena Sterio

Case Western Reserve Journal of International Law

Ecocide as well as other crimes against the environment have become a feature of warfare, as exemplified in the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the devastating environmental harm caused as a result. As this Paper has described, significant obstacles remain associated with the ICC’s ability to prosecute environmental crimes, either as war crimes or crimes against humanity. (Abstrast excerpted from article's Conclusion.)

2023 Klatsky Endowed Lecture In Human Rights: The Forgotten Crime: Forging A Convention For Crimes Against Humanity, Leila Nadya Sadat

Case Western Reserve Journal of International Law

No abstract provided.

U.S. National Security And Climate Change, Alexandra E. Koch, Nicole K. Carle, Gregory P. Noone

Case Western Reserve Journal of International Law

As sea temperatures rise and natural disasters intensify, it is critical that the U.S. national security strategy actively include plans to account for global climate change and address the complex environmental and humanitarian challenges that parallel and are driven by rising temperatures, such as resource scarcity, forced displacement, and regional instability. Climate change acts as a “threat multiplier for instability” in some of the most volatile regions of the world and can contribute to rising tensions even in historically stable regions. Climate change can also lead to increased vulnerability of military infrastructure and logistics, undermine military readiness, and demand a …

Front Matter, Vol. 56 (2024)

Case Western Reserve Journal of International Law

No abstract provided.

Offshore Wind: A Comparative Of The United States And Norway

Fordham Environmental Law Review

No abstract provided.

Assessing The Human Right To Water And Sanitation In International Law And The Conflict In The Nile Basin

Fordham Environmental Law Review

Ethiopia’s construction and operation of the Grand Ethiopian

Renaissance Dam (GERD) on the Blue Nile has intensified the long-

standing water conflict involving Ethiopia, Egypt, and Sudan, and

highlights the urgent need for a new legal framework for the Nile

Basin’s governance. This article traces the history of the international

human right to water and sanitation and previous attempts to govern

water use in the Nile Basin. We argue that outdated colonial-era

treaties, which Egypt and Sudan insist on using as a baseline for

negotiations, are a significant obstacle to resolving the Nile conflict

and managing the region’s water resources …

Debts And Desertion: Bankruptcy Law And The Orphan Well Crisis

Fordham Environmental Law Review

The issue of orphan wells—unplugged and unproductive oil and

gas wells with no responsible operator—poses a significant

environmental and public health threat in the United States. The scale

of this crisis is alarming: there are over 120,000 documented orphan

wells and potentially millions more undocumented. These wells are

often significant sources of methane emissions and other toxins that

exacerbate climate change and endanger the health of surrounding

communities. This paper examines the orphan well crisis, exploring

how wells become orphaned and the environmental and health

impacts associated with them. Furthermore, it delves into how the

situation is likely to worsen …

The Emerging Crime Of Persecution Based On Sexual Orientation, Anthony J. Colangelo

Northwestern Journal of Human Rights

This Article argues that persecution based on sexual

orientation constitutes a crime against humanity under international law.

Unlike other scholarship that has focused on the definition of crimes against

humanity in the 1998 Rome Statute for the International Criminal Court—

which does not explicitly enumerate “sexual orientation” as a protected

classification—this Article looks to customary international law made up by

the practices of states.

Diligent research has revealed that between 1998 and 2022, at least 107

states enacted laws or revised existing laws decriminalizing sexual

orientation and/or categorizing sexual orientation as a protected

classification from discrimination. This is in addition …

Slavery Still Exists And May Have Produced Your Hairdryer, Katherine Pratty

American University International Law Review

In 2020, the International Labour Organization (“ILO”) estimated that forced labor generated $51 billion USD. Many profiteers are not individual bad actors, but rather, corporations. Recently it came to light that one corporate profiteer is the multinational technology manufacturing company, creator of the most awarded hair care device in 2021: Dyson Limited. While Dyson has received praise for its products, Malaysia charged Dyson’s main production factory, ATA IMS, with labor law violations. Shortly thereafter, in February 2022, UK law firm Leigh Day publicly announced its suit against Dyson on behalf of the workers in Dyson’s Malaysia factory.

This Comment analyzes …

Multinational Asset Management Firms & Esg Disclosure Management, Maggie Pahl, Michael Hamersky, Jason J. Czarnezki

Elisabeth Haub School of Law Faculty Publications

In recent years, the United States, European Union, and United Kingdom have introduced “Environmental, Social, and Governance” disclosure regulations. Multinational Asset Management Firms must now navigate the evolving and varied disclosure and labeling requirements they are subjected to across multiple jurisdictions. This Article provides a brief history of ESG disclosure regulation and provides a summary of the enacted and proposed regulations and identifies the biggest points of contention between the regulations and provides suggestions for a more comprehensive standardized regulatory framework.

Foreword: Climate Change And International Law At A Crossroads, Michael P. Scharf, Amanda Price

Case Western Reserve Journal of International Law

No abstract provided.

Keynote Speech By John Knox, Former U.N. Special Rapporteur For Human Rights And The Environment, John Knox

Case Western Reserve Journal of International Law

No abstract provided.

Will Climate Change Be The Next Grotian Moment?, Michael P. Scharf

Case Western Reserve Journal of International Law

Under the classic paradigm of international environmental law articulated in the 1941 Trail Smelter arbitration decision, States are responsible for downstream or downwind harm that crosses from their territory into another State. But climate change threatens not just neighboring States but the entire global commons. This Article explores whether the conditions are ripe for a “Grotian Moment”—a paradigm shifting development leading to accelerated formation of customary international law related to the human right to a healthy environment.

The Right To A Healthy Environment: Underlying Policy Formation Challenges In The United States During The Trump Era, Michael J. Kelly

Case Western Reserve Journal of International Law

The right to live in a healthy environment is the right to live in an environment where Donald Trump is not president. As this Article demonstrates, Trump’s negative impact across a wide spectrum of policy areas implicated by the right’s goal of creating and maintaining a healthy environment in the United States ran directly opposite to achieving that goal. (Abstract excerpted from article's introduction.)

Drops In The Ocean: The Hidden Power Of Rights-Based Climate Change Litigation, Craig Martin

Case Western Reserve Journal of International Law

An increasing number of legal challenges to government climate change policies are being advanced on the basis that states are violating the human rights or constitutional rights of applicants. A number of high-profile cases in Europe have upheld such claims and ordered governments to adjust their policies. But questions remain regarding how effective such rights-based cases may be in the effort to enforce climate change law obligations or encourage government responses to the crisis. This Article explores how such rights-based cases may exercise greater influence than is typically understood.

After explaining briefly the relevant human rights and climate change law, …

Taxing Dirty Luxuries, Victoria J. Haneman

Case Western Reserve Journal of International Law

Dirty luxuries are items that are pleasant or nice to have, not necessities, that absolutely bludgeon the environment. From the merely affluent to the ultra-rich, consumers enjoying dirty luxuries, such as luxury clothing, private jets, superyachts, SUVs, and vacation cruises, drive one of the most polluting types of consumption on the planet. This Article explores the climate costs of dirty luxuries, considers the current and proposed international efforts to address the climate impact of these luxuries, and proposes structures by which these luxuries may be taxed to either reduce consumption or compensate for negative externalities.

Climate Change And Cross-Border Displacement: What The Courts, The Administration, And Congress Can Do To Improve Options For The United States, Kate Jastram

Case Western Reserve Journal of International Law

There is no doubt that the United States, even under existing law, could do much more to protect people displaced across international borders in the context of climate change and disasters. All branches of government have a role to play. Federal courts must thoughtfully assess litigants bringing asylum and CAT claims in the context of climate change and disasters. The administration must clarify interpretation of the refugee definition and use all available tools at its disposal to create new legal pathways as outlined in the White House Report. For its part, Congress must modernize the statutory basis for international protection …

Climate Change And Internal Displacement In Colombia: Chronicle Of A Tragedy Foretold?, Camila Bustos

Case Western Reserve Journal of International Law

One of the key challenges stemming from climate change will be climate displacement, as sudden and gradual events disrupt livelihoods and force millions to leave their homes. Despite the existing scholarship’s focus on cross-border movement, the majority of climate displaced people will move internally instead of or before seeking refuge outside their nation’s borders. What obligations do states owe to their citizens when those states have historically not been emitters but have still failed to protect domestic populations from displacement related to environmental disasters and climate change impacts? Through exploring the disaster management framework in Colombia and conducting a case …

Fossil Fuel Fraud, Wes Henricksen

Case Western Reserve Journal of International Law

In some recent climate litigation cases, plaintiffs have added a claim for common law fraud, in addition to the more traditionally pursued claims for nuisance, negligence, and trespass. Fraud claims against fossil fuel companies center on the decades-long campaign of climate change doubt that was organized, funded, and carried out by oil, gas, and coal industry leaders, as well as public relations firms and industry advocacy groups working on their behalf. But while the doubt campaign certainly fits the fraud mold—a purposeful effort to mislead for profit—because it was aimed at defrauding the public at large, rather than defrauding a …

Closing Remarks: Toward A Climate Migration Solution, Austin T. Fragomen, Jr., Nancy H. Morowitz

Case Western Reserve Journal of International Law

No abstract provided.

Talking Foreign Policy: "Foreign Policy And Climate Change" November 20, 2023 Broadcast, Cwru Law School

Case Western Reserve Journal of International Law

No abstract provided.

The Killing Of Ayman Al-Zawahiri: On Its Legality And Why The U.N. Should Clarify The "Unable Or Unwilling" Doctrine, Nicholas Abraksia

Case Western Reserve Journal of International Law

No abstract provided.

Protecting Traditional Transnational Cultural Expressions In The United States And Mexico, Caitlyn Herlihy

Case Western Reserve Journal of International Law

No abstract provided.

Repurposing The United Nations Trusteeship Council To Govern The Establishment Of Outer Space Settlements, Andrew Wulf

Northwestern Journal of International Law & Business

Current existing international law and treaties on outer space do not address or regulate private actors’ property claims or human settlements in outer space. American companies such as SpaceX and Blue Origin, as well as countries like the United States, Russia, and China, are seeking to create colonies on the Moon and Mars. However, there is no international legal authority to allow or regulate this. In order to legitimize and control this impending outgrowth of human settlements, this paper proposes that the U.N. Trusteeship Council be repurposed to govern non-state actors’ claims of outer space property.

First, this paper explains …

Regional Discrimination As A Quasi-Form Of Racial Discrimination: Comparing The Protection Under Anglo-American, International And Chinese Laws, Martin Yc Kwan

American University International Law Review

This article seeks to explore the issue of regional discrimination from two perspectives. First, the article evaluates whether it is possible to remedy the absence of direct protection by fitting regional discrimination within the scope of current anti-racial discrimination laws. Second, it highlights China’s protection against regional discrimination and evaluates the Chinese laws’ scope and gaps in protection.