Scarcity and Human Rights: Reimagining Legal Interpretation through the Example of Climate Litigation

What narratives and framings determine the interpretation of human rights in the face of climate change? On 7 April Professor Corina Heri gave a lecture on her research on the narrative of scarcity and how this is restricting human rights law. Professor Corina Heri has recently joined Vrije Universiteit Brussel after holding positions at the University of Zurich, the University of Amsterdam, and Tilburg University, where she built an impressive academic track record. 

Here is a recording of the event:

Abstract

What narratives and framings determine the interpretation of human rights in the face of climate change? Foregrounding the example of the European Court of Human Rights, this talk examines human rights law’s interpretative ethic as determined by a narrative of scarcity. This narrative juxtaposes infinite human needs and wants with limited national and judicial resources, thereby restricting human rights protection – in both theory in practice – in service to a particular kind of economic thinking. Using the Court’s climate cases as a focal point, the present piece argues for a refiguring of scarcity, one that re-centers the limited and ever-shrinking possibilities of addressing environmental breakdown.