Developments, Opportunities, and Complexities in Global South Climate Litigation: Introduction to the Special Collection

Abstract

Abstract This introduction presents a special collection of the Journal of Human Rights Practice, ‘Developments, Opportunities and Complexities in Global South Climate Litigation’. It conceptualizes and problematizes ‘climate litigation’ and the ‘Global South’, and brings together perspectives from a diverse range of scholars and practitioners from the Global South to advance knowledge on how climate litigation in the region has developed in recent years. The number of cases discussed, and the depth of analyses illustrate that the region is contributing to the pursuit of climate justice through litigation. The collection showcases a rich body of scholarship on climate litigation from African, Latin American, and Asian perspectives. In the face of political, cultural, and other barriers to knowledge production, contributions demonstrate nuanced, contextual engagement with climate litigation in the Global South. Therefore, this collection challenges the narrative that cases dealing with climate change and its human rights and justice implications are few and far between in the Global South. It emphasizes their relevance for the global discourse on climate litigation.