On November 2, 2021, New York State voters passed a ballot measure enshrining in the State Constitution the right to a “healthful environment.” The new “green amendment” or “Environmental Rights Amendment” (ERA) places New...more
On November 4th, by a 2:1 majority, New York voters amended the State’s Constitution to provide a right to the environment for everyone in the State. The New York State Constitution’s Bill of Rights now provides in Article 1...more
Key Takeaways Likened by some to motherhood and apple pie, the Environmental Rights Amendment was adopted by New York with a resounding “Yes” on November 2, 2021, with approximately 68% of voters approving the new amendment....more
The constitutions of more than three-quarters of the countries on earth have explicit reference to environmental rights or responsibilities. In the last several years courts in the Netherlands, Germany, France, Australia,...more
Years in the making, the first global report on the Environmental Rule of Law (ERL) was issued by the United Nations Environment Program and the Environmental Law Institute (ELI) in January 2019. The report is a...more