Public Interest Litigation Concerning Environmental Matters before Human Rights Courts and National Courts

This article analysis the current state of environmental public interest litigation before the three regional human rights bodies of Europe, America and Africa in the light of their constituting treaties and case law and in practice of the national courts. It also assesses the chances of reform to broader access to justice in environmental matters in the European human rights system. It argues that, although national and international jurisdictions generally point towards broader access to justice, the legal systems currently employed by the European and Inter-American human rights institutions are not apt for a concept of public interest litigation.