IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v13y2021i19p10516-d640598.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

The UNGPs on Business and Human Rights and the Greening of Human Rights Litigation: Fishing in Fragmented Waters?

Author

Listed:
  • Liliana Lizarazo-Rodriguez

    (Centre for Environment, Economy and Energy, Brussels School of Governance, Vrij Universiteit Brussel (VUB) Pleinlaan 5, 1050 Brussels, Belgium
    Law and Development Research Group, Universiteit Antwerpen, 2000 Antwerpen, Belgium)

Abstract

This article is written around the time a Dutch court ordered the corporate group Shell to cut its carbon emissions by 2030. The aim of the article is to contribute to the conceptualisation of the phenomenon this judgement unveils in terms of greening human rights litigation supported by the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs). It addresses, firstly, how claiming the protection of the Earth before courts is occurring in a highly fragmented legal, economic and social context as a way to overcome the multiple obstacles flagged by the literature on the UNGPs. Secondly, it assesses how human rights litigation seeking global justice has evolved in waves with common trends, such as activism from social actors and courts that rely on arguments based on progressive soft law. Thirdly, it identifies two trends in the current wave of green litigation: the anthropocentric perspective that claims the protection of the Earth in the public interest and the ecocentric perspective that claims autonomous rights for Mother Earth. Finally, the article flags some gaps in this third wave of human rights litigation, particularly the risk of disregarding the third pillar of the UNGPs: access to an effective remedy for marginalised communities that are not aware of these ongoing developments.

Suggested Citation

  • Liliana Lizarazo-Rodriguez, 2021. "The UNGPs on Business and Human Rights and the Greening of Human Rights Litigation: Fishing in Fragmented Waters?," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(19), pages 1-25, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:13:y:2021:i:19:p:10516-:d:640598
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/13/19/10516/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/13/19/10516/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Joana Setzer & Lisa C. Vanhala, 2019. "Climate change litigation: A review of research on courts and litigants in climate governance," Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Climate Change, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 10(3), May.
    2. World Commission on Environment and Development,, 1987. "Our Common Future," OUP Catalogue, Oxford University Press, number 9780192820808, Decembrie.
    3. Nathalie Rühs & Aled Jones, 2016. "The Implementation of Earth Jurisprudence through Substantive Constitutional Rights of Nature," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 8(2), pages 1-19, February.
    4. Richard Heede, 2014. "Tracing anthropogenic carbon dioxide and methane emissions to fossil fuel and cement producers, 1854–2010," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 122(1), pages 229-241, January.
    5. Szerena Szabo & Jane Webster, 2021. "Perceived Greenwashing: The Effects of Green Marketing on Environmental and Product Perceptions," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 171(4), pages 719-739, July.
    6. Neil M. Coe & Peter Dicken & Martin Hess, 2008. "Global production networks: realizing the potential," Journal of Economic Geography, Oxford University Press, vol. 8(3), pages 271-295, May.
    7. Pham, Hanh Song Thi & Tran, Hien Thi, 2020. "CSR disclosure and firm performance: The mediating role of corporate reputation and moderating role of CEO integrity," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 120(C), pages 127-136.
    8. repec:ecr:col013:43583 is not listed on IDEAS
    9. Jappe Eckhardt & Arlo Poletti, 2018. "Introduction: Bringing Institutions Back in the Study of Global Value Chains," Global Policy, London School of Economics and Political Science, vol. 9(S2), pages 5-11, October.
    10. Koen De Backer & Philippe De Lombaerde & Lelio Lapadre, 2018. "Analyzing Global and Regional Value Chains," International Economics, CEPII research center, issue 153, pages 3-10.
    11. KAUFMAN, Jonathan & McDONNELL, Katherine, 2016. "Community-Driven Operational Grievance Mechanisms," Business and Human Rights Journal, Cambridge University Press, vol. 1(1), pages 127-132, January.
    12. Paola Fezzigna & Simone Borghesi & Dario Caro, 2019. "Revising Emission Responsibilities through Consumption-Based Accounting: A European and Post-Brexit Perspective," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(2), pages 1-13, January.
    13. Garmendia, Eneko & Urkidi, Leire & Arto, Iñaki & Barcena, Iñaki & Bermejo, Roberto & Hoyos, David & Lago, Rosa, 2016. "Tracing the impacts of a northern open economy on the global environment," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 126(C), pages 169-181.
    14. World Bank, 2020. "World Development Report 2020," World Bank Publications - Books, The World Bank Group, number 32437, April.
    15. Dirk Bièvre & Ilaria Espa & Arlo Poletti, 2017. "No iceberg in sight: on the absence of WTO disputes challenging fossil fuel subsidies," International Environmental Agreements: Politics, Law and Economics, Springer, vol. 17(3), pages 411-425, June.
    16. Iñaki Heras‐Saizarbitoria & Olivier Boiral & Alberto Díaz de Junguitu, 2020. "Environmental management certification and environmental performance: Greening or greenwashing?," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 29(6), pages 2829-2841, September.
    17. -, 2018. "Regional Agreement on Access to Information, Public Participation and Justice in Environmental Matters in Latin America and the Caribbean," Libros y Documentos Institucionales, Naciones Unidas Comisión Económica para América Latina y el Caribe (CEPAL), number 43583 edited by Eclac.
    18. Pia Eberhardt & Cecilia Olivet, 2018. "Modern Pirates: How Arbitration Lawyers Help Corporations Seize National Assets and Limit State Autonomy," American Journal of Economics and Sociology, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 77(2), pages 279-329, March.
    19. Chris Jeffords & Lanse Minkler, 2016. "Do Constitutions Matter? The Effects of Constitutional Environmental Rights Provisions on Environmental Outcomes," Kyklos, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 69(2), pages 294-335, May.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Olga Martin-Ortega & Fatimazahra Dehbi & Valerie Nelson & Renginee Pillay, 2022. "Towards a Business, Human Rights and the Environment Framework," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(11), pages 1-26, May.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Andrea Coveri & Claudio Cozza & Leopoldo Nascia & Antonello Zanfei, 2020. "Supply chain contagion and the role of industrial policy," Economia e Politica Industriale: Journal of Industrial and Business Economics, Springer;Associazione Amici di Economia e Politica Industriale, vol. 47(3), pages 467-482, September.
    2. Nicky R. M. Pouw & Hans-Peter Weikard & Richard B. Howarth, 2022. "Economic analysis of international environmental agreements: lessons learnt 2000–2020," International Environmental Agreements: Politics, Law and Economics, Springer, vol. 22(2), pages 279-294, June.
    3. Armando Calabrese & Roberta Costa & Nathan Levialdi & Tamara Menichini & Roberth Andres Villazon Montalvan, 2020. "Does More Mean Better? Exploring the Relationship between Report Completeness and Environmental Sustainability," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(24), pages 1-16, December.
    4. Joshua C. Gellers & Christopher Jeffords, 2015. "Procedural Environmental Rights and Environmental Justice: Assessing the Impact of Environmental Constitutionalism," Economic Rights Working Papers 25, University of Connecticut, Human Rights Institute.
    5. Dulak, Thomas & Gnabo, Jean-Yves, 2024. "Climate litigation and financial markets: A disciplinary effect?," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 95(PB).
    6. Stefan Schaltegger & Jacob Hörisch, 2017. "In Search of the Dominant Rationale in Sustainability Management: Legitimacy- or Profit-Seeking?," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 145(2), pages 259-276, October.
    7. Dietz, Simon & Gardiner, Dan & Jahn, Valentin & Noels, Jolien, 2021. "How ambitious are oil and gas companies’ climate goals?," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 112536, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    8. Misato Sato & Glen Gostlow & Catherine Higham & Joana Setzer & Frank Venmans, 2024. "Impacts of climate litigation on firm value," Nature Sustainability, Nature, vol. 7(11), pages 1461-1468, November.
    9. Qi Meng & Muhammad Mohiuddin & Yuliang Cao, 2022. "Sustainable Production Clauses and Positioning in the Global Value Chain: An Analysis of International Investment Agreements (IIA) of the ICT Industry in Developing and Developed Markets," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(4), pages 1-17, February.
    10. Giovanni Pasquali & Shane Godfrey & Khalid Nadvi, 2021. "Understanding regional value chains through the interaction of public and private governance: Insights from Southern Africa’s apparel sector," Journal of International Business Policy, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 4(3), pages 368-389, September.
    11. Antonio Corvino & Silvio Bianchi Martini & Federica Doni, 2021. "Extinction accounting and accountability: Empirical evidence from the west European tissue industry," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 30(5), pages 2556-2570, July.
    12. Gary Gereffi & Hyun-Chin Lim & Joonkoo Lee, 2021. "Trade policies, firm strategies, and adaptive reconfigurations of global value chains," Journal of International Business Policy, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 4(4), pages 506-522, December.
    13. Neilson, Jeffrey & Dwiartama, Angga & Fold, Niels & Permadi, Dikdik, 2020. "Resource-based industrial policy in an era of global production networks: Strategic coupling in the Indonesian cocoa sector," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 135(C).
    14. An-Chi Liu & Junyi Wang & Yiting Zhan & Chien-Jung Li & Yang Li, 2021. "Meta-Frontier Analysis of Disclosing Sustainable Development Information: Evidence from China’s AI Industry," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(19), pages 1-13, September.
    15. Myria W. Allen & Christopher A. Craig, 2016. "Rethinking corporate social responsibility in the age of climate change: a communication perspective," International Journal of Corporate Social Responsibility, Springer, vol. 1(1), pages 1-11, December.
    16. Divinus Oppong-Tawiah & Jane Webster, 2023. "Corporate Sustainability Communication as ‘Fake News’: Firms’ Greenwashing on Twitter," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(8), pages 1-26, April.
    17. Mechthild Donner & Anne Verniquet & Jan Broeze & Katrin Kayser & Hugo de Vries, 2021. "Critical success and risk factors for circular business models valorising agricultural waste and by-products," Post-Print hal-03004851, HAL.
    18. Cornelis Leeuwen & Jos Frijns & Annemarie Wezel & Frans Ven, 2012. "City Blueprints: 24 Indicators to Assess the Sustainability of the Urban Water Cycle," Water Resources Management: An International Journal, Published for the European Water Resources Association (EWRA), Springer;European Water Resources Association (EWRA), vol. 26(8), pages 2177-2197, June.
    19. CHEN, Helen S.Y., 2020. "Designing Sustainable Humanitarian Supply Chains," OSF Preprints m82ar, Center for Open Science.
    20. Jim Butcher, 2006. "The United Nations International Year of Ecotourism: a critical analysis of development implications," Progress in Development Studies, , vol. 6(2), pages 146-156, April.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:13:y:2021:i:19:p:10516-:d:640598. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.