Toxics, Waste and Environmental Justice (LAWS90352)

In this subject, we explore the evolving international and comparative legal landscape of this ‘chemicals and waste’ cluster. We will provide insights into global governance processes, accountability mechanisms as well as opportunities for legal reform - including the main international treaties, non-binding instruments, ongoing international negotiations, and national level laws and regulations.   

Drawing on the teacher’s experience as the UN Special Rapporteur on toxics and human rights, the subject also examines environmental harm and the human rights dimension, including access to information, participation in decision-making, and justice in cases of toxic exposure. Students will engage with real-world case studies—such as litigation over PFAS, shipbreaking, and gold mining—and develop practical skills to advise stakeholders across public, private, and civil society sectors. 

Indicative list of principal topics: 

• Transboundary movement of hazardous waste and the Basel Convention 
• Persistent organic pollutants and the Stockholm Convention  
• International trade in chemicals: Rotterdam Convention and current reform proposals 
• Mercury governance under the Minamata Convention 
• The human rights dimensions of toxics, including jurisprudence and the right to a healthy environment 
• Litigation and accountability: a ‘toxic tort’, human health and environmental justice 
• Emerging developments: Adoption of the Global Framework on Chemicals and plastics treaty negotiations 

Intended learning outcomes

On completion of this subject, students should be able to:

• Evaluate the values and interests shaping international chemicals and waste regulation
• Analyse key legal instruments governing chemicals and waste at global and national levels
• Interpret governance mechanisms within toxics treaties, including compliance and negotiation processes
• Synthesise legal principles across international instruments to address overlapping or conflicting norms.
• Assess the human rights implications of exposure to hazardous substances and the regulation of toxics
• Advise stakeholders on the application, reform and strategic use of international toxics legal instruments

Generic skills

• Advanced legal research and analytical skills, including the capacity to engage critically with international environmental treaties, national regulations, and comparative legal frameworks. 
• Professional communication skills, enabling students to convey complex legal and scientific information – such as treaty text, technical standards, and case law – to both legal practitioners and policy or community stakeholders. 
• Strategic problem-solving and policy analysis skills, particularly in legal contexts characterised by scientific uncertainty, competing stakeholder interests, and evolving international norms on pollution, human rights and environmental harm.