Climate Change

Just Security’s expert authors offer in-depth analysis of the legal, security, diplomatic, and human rights dimensions of climate change. Articles span topics related to international agreements, climate-related displacement, the national security risks of climate change, and climate litigation in international, regional, and domestic courts and tribunals.

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174 Articles
Brazilian indigenous people and others take part in a demonstration called by Stop Ecocide International (SEI) for the recognition of ecocide as an international crime, on October 20, 2022 outside the European Council in Brussels where EU leaders were gathered for a summit. (Photo by KENZO TRIBOUILLARD/AFP via Getty Images)

Attacks on Nature, Atrocities Against People: The Case for Environmental Harm as a 12th Crime Against Humanity

Addressing the global environmental crisis requires urgent action, and this new treaty offers States an unprecedented opportunity to confront it directly and decisively.

Xi’s Climate Announcement: A Disappointment, Not a Breakthrough

China’s climate announcement — coupled with the U.S. withdrawal — has alarmed many in terms of the viability of the Paris Agreement’s temperature goal. 
Marshall Islands president Hilda Heine speaks during the General Debate of the United Nations General Assembly at the UN headquarters in New York City on September 24, 2025. (Photo by Leonardo MUNOZ / AFP) (Photo by LEONARDO MUNOZ/AFP via Getty Images)

A Human Rights Approach to Nuclear Regimes: Lessons from the Legacy of Nuclear Testing in the Marshall Islands

Acknowledgement and respect for human rights can encourage States, like the Marshall Islands, to join and actively participate in nuclear regimes.
People walk past the United Nations (UN) headquarters in Manhattan

Washington’s Multilateral Retreat Creates an Opening for State and Local Leaders

U.S. state and local leaders can fill voids left as the Trump administration cuts and even exits multilateral organizations.
In this aerial view, a forklift puts boxes of peaches on to a truck after they were harvested from the last crop off of the trees at a peach orchard on July 24, 2023 in Fort Valley, Georgia. Due to weather extremes earlier in the year, their peach season, which usually ends in August, concluded early. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

America’s Climate Diplomacy Challenge and the Path to Rebuilding Credibility

For international climate diplomacy to succeed, it cannot be tethered to partisan swings in Washington.
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Himalayan Water Disputes Awaken the Tensions and Promises of the UN Watercourses Convention

States should promote water security and minimize geopolitical risk by reading the UN Watercourses Convention as a baseline for all nations to follow.
The International Court of Justice (ICJ) members arrive to issue first Advisory Opinion (AO) on States' legal obligations to address climate change, in The Hague on July 23, 2025. The top UN court on July 23, 2025 described climate change as an "urgent and existential threat", as it handed down a landmark ruling on the legal obligations of countries to prevent it. (Photo by JOHN THYS/AFP via Getty Images)

Climate-Vulnerable States Vindicated in the Hague: A First Look at the International Court of Justice’s Climate Advisory Opinion

With this unanimous opinion, the ICJ has taken a clear stand in favor of a coherent and equitable international legal response to climate change.
Fog over Santiago, Chile (via Getty Images)

Inter-American Court of Human Rights Delivers Landmark Opinion on Climate Emergency

The advisory opinion provides a blueprint for policymakers and advocates seeking to drive forward climate action in the Americas.
The hand of a person in a suit peels back a stage curtain.

A Warm Welcome to Mark Nevitt as a Just Security Editorial Board Member!

We are thrilled to welcome distinguished scholar and Emory law professor Mark Nevitt, Commander, JAGC (ret.), as a new member of Just Security's Editorial Board.
A man walks past an infrastructure project underway for COP30 in Belem, Para state, Brazil

COP 30 Must Not Cop Out

Brazil, the Parties, and other stakeholders should ensure the issue of "nationally determined contribution" emission targets lie at the heart of COP 30.
A worker sorts recyclable plastic waste at a warehouse in Jalandhar on June 4, 2025, on the eve of World Environment Day. (Photo by SHAMMI MEHRA/AFP via Getty Images)

Getting to Yes on the Plastics Agreement: Time for More Plasticity?

A thorough survey of tools that can be used to bridge divides in negotiations on a treaty to end plastic pollution.
An image of an orange/yellow sun

Why a Global “Moratorium” on Solar Radiation Management Deployment Should Get a Chilly Reception

A bottom-up norm-setting approach would rectify the concerns of agreeing to a global moratorium on solar radiation management deployment.
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