Book Launch: 'The Rights of Children and Youth in the Climate Crisis: Action and Litigation'

14 Apr 2026

Happening On 21/05/2026

The Rights of Children and Youth in the Climate Crisis: Action and Litigation (Routledge, 2026), by Aoife Daly, Florencia Paz Landeira, and Liesl Muller, examines how children and young people are engaging with climate litigation and advocacy across different contexts, and in the process are progressing human rights; creating a postpaternalist era.

The book examines the climate crisis as a profound human rights challenge, with a particular focus on children and young people. It explores how the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child applies in the context of climate change and advances a central argument: children and youth are not only rights-holders, but also active rights-makers, shaping legal and political norms across local, national, and international arenas. 

Drawing on interdisciplinary research, the authors analyse the growing role of children and young people in climate governance, advocacy, and litigation. The book includes an in-depth study of child- and youth-involved climate cases worldwide, highlighting both their legal outcomes and their broader societal and normative impacts. In doing so, it demonstrates how participation rights are driving tangible change—not only for younger generations, but for human rights and environmental law more broadly. 

The book features a foreword by Ann Skelton, Professor of Law at Leiden University and the University of Pretoria, and former Chairperson of the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child. Reflecting on the significance of the work, she writes:   “Children and youth are not appendices to the climate movement—they are catalysts. Their activism, litigation, and participation are reshaping our understanding of  rights, justice, and democracy.” 

Bringing together doctrinal analysis and empirical insight, this book will be an invaluable resource for academics, researchers, policymakers, and practitioners working in human rights law, children’s rights, environmental law, and climate governance.

Click this link to find out more about the book - https://www.routledge.com/The-Rights-of-Children-and-Youth-in-the-Climate-Crisis-Action-and-Litigation/Daly-PazLandeira-Muller/p/book/9781032287959

📍 Book launch event
Thursday, 21 May, 3–5pm
The Hub, University College Cork. 
The launch will feature a roundtable discussion with the authors, co-hosted by Conor O’Mahony and Sumaya Mohammed.

Register for the Book launch event here: Book Launch: The Rights of Children and Youth in the Climate Crisis: Action and Litigation – Fill out form