Claudia Pérez Zapico

Institution: Universidad Autónoma de Madrid

Period of stay: 22/04/2024-23/07/2024

Contact: Email: claudia.perez@uam.es

https://www.uam.es/Derecho/perez-zapico-claudia-manuela/1446823954572.ht...

Profile: 

Claudia Pérez Zapico is an international law PhD Candidate and an Assistant Professor at the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid since April 2023. Her thesis focuses on climate litigation before international courts. She is part of the Speak for Nature European Project on Interdisciplinary Approaches on Ecological Justice and a member of the Editorial Committee of the "Revista Jurídica de la UAM".

Prior to joining the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid she carried out traineeships at the European Court of Human Rights, the Legal Service of the European Commission and the European Parliament.

Ms. Pérez Zapico holds an LL.M. in International Law from the University of Cambridge and and a Bachelor's Degree in Law from the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid.

Research Area:

Climate Litigation; Human Rights Law, International Environmental Law; International Courts and Tribunals

Research Title:

International climate litigation: the new battleground in the fight against climate change.

Research Outline:

Environmental organisations, as well as individuals, hitherto focused on social and citizen mobilisation, have opened up a new front in the fight against climate change: the courts. In this regard, we are witnessing an increase in litigation before both national and international courts. The aim of this research is to analyse the rulings of the various international bodies, through which the obligations of States regarding the fight against climate change are being shaped.

Through the analysis of the existing jurisprudence, as well as the multiple imminent cases to come, the aim of this research is to study how the different international courts are being instrumentalised to construct and outline the obligations of States in the fight against climate change, carrying out a comparative analysis of the scope of each court when performing this function. On the assumption that these tribunals will play a central role in the implementation of the obligations of States in the fight against climate change, it remains to be seen what path this future climate litigation will take, the synergies and differences between the various international bodies, the procedural and substantive obstacles that appellants will have to face in order to have their cases heard, and the level of protection that these bodies will provide them with.

By elucidating the reach of States’ obligations, this research has the potential to strengthen the effective tools available to individuals, social and environmental organisations, and even companies, in their fight against anthropogenic changes to the climate.

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