Justice, Rights and Nature
Advocating for a rights-based approach to the protection of nature for the benefit of current and future generations.
Project Aims
EJNI undertakes rapid-response research and advocacy on issues where justice, rights and nature interact and consider how an environmental justice lens can shed light on shared environmental challenges on the island of Ireland.
Our work in this project ranges from specific case studies of environmental injustice to analysis of legal and political developments, new ideas or emerging threats to environmental rights.
Collaboration
Working across sectors to enhance knowledge about shared environmental justice challenges.
Research
Translating complex legal issues into accessible and interesting research reports, films and briefings.
Monitoring
Assessing legal and political developments to ensure environmental rights are upheld.
The Environment, Human Rights and the Windsor Framework
Transboundary environmental justice: Gold mining in the Sperrin mountains
Know your rights to protest
Lough Neagh: A case study in environmental injustice
Implementation of Ecocide legislation on the Island of Ireland
Rights of nature council motions on the island of Ireland
EJNI’s research report “The Environment, Human Rights and the Windsor Framework”for the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission was published in June 2025.
“Human rights are universal and interdependent. This new research report highlights the complex interplay between international and domestic human rights frameworks and environmental protections. As outlined in the research, and in the Commission’s accompanying briefing paper, human rights are indivisible, and a clean and safe environment that is protected is essential for the enjoyment of all human rights.”
Alyson Kilpatrick, Chief Commissioner of the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission.
EJNI has explored the concept of Rights of Nature. What if rivers, forests, and other vital ecosystems had legal rights of their own—rights to exist, flourish, and even defend themselves in court against harm and pollution? This film investigated how granting legal personhood to nature could transform environmental protection and challenge the way we relate to the natural world. You can watch the full version of the film here.
We’ve also explored the emerging movement built around rights of nature on the island of Ireland in this film.
In this episode of Queen’s University Belfast’s LawPod podcast, Dr Bróna McNeill and Dr Ciara Brennan discuss their recent report: Lough Neagh’s Future Ownership: Legal and Policy Considerations, which was developed in response to the ecological crisis that has unfolded at the lough over Summer 2023.
