Newsletters
July Newsletter
This newsletter was first sent by email to the members of our Research Network. If you would like to be part of it, sign up here.
Hello and welcome to the July edition of our Youth Climate Justice Research Network newsletter!
This network is supported by the Youth Climate Justice project at University College Cork. The project is led by Prof. Aoife Daly and funded by the European Research Council (ERC). The network thrives thanks to your active participation and collaboration. This newsletter is prepared by Florencia Paz Landeira. For more about the project and our team, feel free to visit our website. You can also watch the recordings of all of our online research forums here!
If you have any events, publications, or opportunities you’d like featured in the August edition, please email youthclimatejustice@ucc.ie by August 15th with ‘Research Network Newsletter’ in the subject line.
Project News
Welcome Lucy Walsh – our new Research Assistant! Lucy joins the Youth Climate Justice project fresh from completing her BCL (Clinical) at UCC, where she served as Editor‑in‑Chief of the 24th Cork Online Law Review. With keen interests in AI, data protection, and contemporary corporate‑law issues, Lucy brings valuable expertise to our team. She has already secured a training contract with Matheson LLP—Ireland’s largest law firm—to begin in 2027. We’re thrilled to have her enthusiasm and insight on board! Lucy is going to take over the newsletter for the summer.
Interviews ongoing: Our team is moving to conduct interviews with lawyers, young litigants, and judges across Africa. If you would like to participate — or know someone who would like to — please share these sign-up links: Lawyers, Young Litigants, Judges/Others. You can also contact PhD Researcher Liesl Muller at LIESLHEILA.MULLER@ucc.ie
Young Advisory Team - Online Fieldwork Successfully Completed! Over the past couple of months, our PhD researcher Emily Murray led a series of 4 online research workshops with the Young Advisory Team (YAT). Aside from the advisory work they do for YCJ, our 11 young advisors are leading on the environment in their own communities which they showed through artwork and photovoice. The research wrapped up with a closing online art exhibition where the young advisors presented their artwork to visiting adult advisory board members/children's rights working professionals for a fruitful intergenerational discussion!
Youth Climate Applications/Litigation
Atencio v. State of New Mexico: A coalition of Indigenous, youth and environmental groups has appealed to the New Mexico Supreme Court (1 July 2025) after the Court of Appeals dismissed their constitutional challenge over oil‑and‑gas pollution. The suit argues the state is violating its duty to protect a healthy environment, threatening youths’ right to a liveable future. Read the press release here.
Lighthiser v. Trump: The federal court has scheduled a combined hearing on the plaintiffs’ preliminary‑injunction request and the government’s forthcoming motion to dismiss for 16–17 September 2025. The youth plaintiffs will file their response to the pending motion to intervene shortly. More information here.
Climate facts!
This month we want to shed the light on some of the climate stories which don’t always make the front headlines... the positive ones! When working in climate justice, which can be heavy and overwhelming, it is important to make time to seek out the wins for the planet!
- Many national governments are lagging on climate action... but at the local level, many cities are proving to be ambitious and taking the lead! Check out more here!
- A new species of rain frog was discovered by 3 scientists in South Africa – this is exciting because rain frogs are a “strong indicator of environmental health for an ecosystem” (VitalSigns, Good Climate News, 2025)
- Nepal is leading globally with 70% of new cars running on electricity!
- Last month, Colombia’s environmental ministry reported a 33% reduction in deforestation for the first quarter of 2025!
Check out ‘Good News’ on TheDailyClimate and Happy Eco News if you ever need some positive climate updates 😊
This section is curated by PhD Researcher Emily Murray.
Open Calls and Events
Call for Papers: The Seen and Heard: Young People’s Voices and Freedom of Expression International Conference takes place on 7-5 February 2026 at the University of Malta Valletta Campus. Submit a 300‑word abstract (plus 100‑word bio) by 1 Sept 2025. Details here.
Global Youth Climate Action Fund Microgrants — USD 500‑1,000 for youth‑led (18‑35) climate projects worldwide. Apply 23 Jun – 19 Jul 2025. Details here.
Publications
Advisory Opinion: Inter-American Court of Human Rights Advisory Opinion 32 of 2025: Climate Emergency and Human Rights.
Article: Broadening the Meanings of Youth Climate Activism: A Review of the Literature from Asia, by Therese Boje Mortensen and Timisha Dadhich.
Article: Impact of Climate Change on Child Rights in Climate Vulnerable Communities of Bangladesh, by Monika Biswas, Dr. Md. Alahi Khandaker, Rumana Yasmin Ferdausi, Md. Asadujjaman Asif.
Article: “The purpose of activism is to educate”: Young people's climate activism as and for education in the youth strike movement in England, by Loz J. Hennessy.
Article: Applying the 7P Framework to Youth–Adult Partnerships in Climate Organizing Spaces: “If We Are Going to Be the Ones Living with Climate Change, We Should Have a Say”, by Ellen Field and Lilian Barraclough.
Article: Youth Climate Action in Thailand: Participation, Strategies, International Linkages, and Policy Reform, by Jack Huang.
Case Note: From Petrostate to Precedent: The Impact of Held v. Montana on Future Climate Litigation and the Urgent Need for Federal Climate Action, by Hailey Rizzo.
Report: Global trends in climate change litigation: 2025 snapshot, Grantham Research Institute.