Law at the End of the World – Details, episodes & analysis

In this conversation, César Rodríguez-Garavito (NYU Law) reflects on his fascinating academic career, explaining his drive to produce 'action research' that enables a positive impact for communities and the environment. He reflects on the balance between academic commitments and advocacy work (especially for Indigenous communities), the critical importance of distributed teams of collaborators, and his innovative approach to using art and multimedia to attract attention to an important cause. The discussion also covers the origins and evolution of the More-than-Human Life programme he leads at NYU, his hacks for personal career management, and advice for early career researchers seeking to make meaningful contributions beyond academia. Cristy and Liz round off with their environmental law updates, including international and transnational developments around climate change, river rights and the rights of nature, changes to fast track and climate legislation in Aotearoa New Zealand and environmental legislation in Australia, and the latest environmental case law developments from around the globe.

César Rodríguez-Garavito

Moth - More Than Human Life

Amphibious research

The Earth Rights Research & Action (TERRA NYU Law) - Center for Human Rights and Global Justice

The Thesis Whisperer

Ecuador’s Voters Protect Rights of Nature, Reject Proposal to Rewrite Constitution

Preservación ecosistémica: Por primera vez MOP declara reservas de aguas en cuencas de ríos Futaleufú y Puelo

Lady Tureiti Moxon’s human rights complaint accepted by the United Nations

New Zealand awarded dubious 'Fossil of the Day' at COP30 climate talks

Key-concerns-with-the-Fast-track-Approvals-Amendment-Bill.pdf 

EXPLAINER: Changes announced to the Climate Change Response Act 2002 

Challenging the EPA’s regulatory failure on glyphosate — Environmental Law Initiative

Otākiri SC Case

Beyond problem-solving and systems thinking

Towards durable legal protections for rivers in Chile

Torres Strait Islanders appeal federal court decision on landmark climate case

ASEAN Declaration on the Right to a Safe, Clean, Healthy and Sustainable Environment 

Would you like to leave us a comment about our show? send us a note here

Visit our podcast website - where you can find more information, including the show notes. 

You can also find us on the following platforms:

• LinkedIn - Liz & Cristy
• Bluesky - Liz & Cristy
• Our websites - Liz & Cristy 

In this episode of Law at the End of the World, we kick off our new ‘Research Skills Series’. In this first installment, Liz shares her extensive experience of obtaining and administering research funding in a practical, skills-focused discussion. She covers her grant history (successes and failures), key lessons about writing successful applications, common misconceptions, and the realities of managing and delivering grant-funded projects. Liz emphasises the importance of building relationships, writing for interdisciplinary audiences, and the significant administrative work involved in running grants. Cristy and Liz also discuss major environmental law developments including New Zealand's controversial marine and coastal legislation, Australia's upcoming EPBC amendments, climate litigation from Bonaire, and new research challenging the effectiveness of carbon offsets.

Marine law change angers Māori activist: 'We don't have any rights'

New marine protections in the Hauraki Gulf

Environmental Law Initiative v EPA

Government almost halves methane reduction target, farmers celebrate

Major changes to climate-related disclosures announced

Our Marine Environment 2025

Big shakeup for NZ's research funding

A/80/117: Report of the Special Rapporteur on the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation 

Webinar - Capacity Building on developing Amicus Curiae for the African Court's Advisory Opinion... 

ADLEG Submission on DDA Review (2025).pdf 

Would you like to leave us a comment about our show? send us a note here

Visit our podcast website - where you can find more information, including the show notes. 

You can also find us on the following platforms:

• LinkedIn - Liz & Cristy
• Bluesky - Liz & Cristy
• Our websites - Liz & Cristy 

In this episode of Law at the End of the World, we’re joined by Dr Birsha Ohdedar - legal scholar, climate justice advocate, and thinker on post-growth futures. Birsha shares his academic journey, insights on navigating the tensions between scholarly work and real-world impact, and reflections on law's role in climate and environmental justice. He speaks on the promise of post-growth frameworks, prefigurative legalities, and the importance of slowing down to reimagine what law can do.

Reflecting on Birsha’s interview, hosts Cristy Clark and Elizabeth Macpherson explore the challenges of parenting within academia and make a case for slow scholarship in a high-pressure sector. The episode closes with updates on current developments in environmental law and future directions for research.

Show notes:

See below for a list of resources relevant to the themes or issues discussed during this episode

• Clarke, Cristy Prefiguring legal alternatives in environmental and climate justice struggles in Australia
• For more on our guest Birsha Ohdedar's work
• Environment Minister Murray Watt heads west to restart 'Nature Positive' talks, with a decision on Woodside's gas project looming
• Crisafulli government reneges on pre-election funding pledge by axing environmental legal aid
• Landmark Legal Victory for England’s Rivers: The Court of Appeal's Pickering Judgment - Environmental Law Foundation
• The UK Rights of Nature network
• Swimmable Cities Summit 2025 - Rotterdam 
• Regulatory Standards Bill 155-1 (2025), Government Bill – New Zealand Legislation 
• Indigenous Rights in One Minute : What You Need to Know to Talk Reconciliation – Harbour Publishing
• Higher Expectations – Between the Lines: How to Survive Academia, Make it Better for Others, and Transform the University
• One Ocean Science Congress
• Adaptation Futures Conference 2025
• Colombia recognises Indigenous Rights
• LSAANZ Conference

Thank you for listening. If you enjoyed this episode, please consider liking, subscribing, and sharing, or leave us a review. 

Would you like to leave us a comment about our show? send us a note here

Visit our podcast website - where you can find more information, including the show notes. 

You can also find us on the following platforms:

• LinkedIn - Liz & Cristy
• Bluesky - Liz & Cristy
• Our websites - Liz & Cristy 

In this episode, Elizabeth and Cristy discuss the concept of 'pracademia' - the intersection of academic and practical legal work. Thie conversation begins with reflections from Liz's recent keynote address for early career researchers (ECRs) in Canterbury, titled How to survive (and thrive) as an academic. Topics include insights on surviving (and thriving) in academia, emphasising the role of 'shameless self-promotion' and embracing rejection as a ncessary part of acadmic life and of growth. 

Cristy adds her perspective with a candid confession of her obsession with productivity hacks featuring shoutouts to On the Reg and TextExpander

In the second half of the episode, Liz and Cristy dive into recent developments in environmental law. Liz covers a slew of legislative changes in Aotearoa New Zealand, including a rushed amendment to the Wildlife Act - described as protecting vulnerable roads and mines from skinks, geckos and frogs,  as well as the Equal Pay Amendment Act. She also shares the exciting appointment of Gerard Albert (Whanganui Iwi) to the Waitangi Tribunal. 

Cristy discusses the Australian election results and highlights several climate cases progressing through international bodies such as the European Court of Human Rights and the African Court of Human and Peoples’ Rights. 

Links and further resources:

What I wish I knew: 33 thoughts for early career researchers

Amendment to Wildlife Act ‘unnecessary and muddled’

Fighting nitrate pollution in Canterbury: MHV

Anne Salmond: She won't be right, mate

Law change protects vulnerable roads and mines from skinks, geckos and frogs

Dairy dominates science panel as Govt milks research for profit

Students for Climate Solutions Incorporated v Minister of Energy and Resources [2024]

The country is not prepared for climate impacts, say advisors​

Campaigners take UK government's climate adaptation to ECHR

Request for an advisory opinion on human rights obligations of African states

Implementing Klimaseniorinnen

Please like, share or leave us a review!

Would you like to leave us a comment about our show? send us a note here

Visit our podcast website - where you can find more information, including the show notes. 

You can also find us on the following platforms:

• LinkedIn - Liz & Cristy
• Bluesky - Liz & Cristy
• Our websites - Liz & Cristy 

Summary

In this episode of Law at the End of the World, Elizabeth Macpherson  speaks with our guest Dr Ritodhi Chakraborty about his journey into academia. He shares highlights the  importance of the humanities and social sciences in contributing to the world's most pressing issues and that environmental sciences could benefit from expanding into alternative knowledges to ensure their work is grounded in diverse knowledge systems. He introduces the concept of maladaptation, critiques traditional environmentalism, and stresses the significance of Indigenous knowledge in climate solutions. 

The conversation also explores the ethics of research, the need for interdisciplinary approaches, and the importance of community engagement in achieving justice. 

The episode concludes with Cristy and Liz's reflections and updates on the recent developments in environmental law. 

Show notes:

• UBC Professors’ Attempt to Deny the Facts of Law and History
• For more on our guest Dr Ritodhi Chakraborty's work - click here 
• Te Ture Whakatupua mō Te Kāhui Tupua 2025/Taranaki Maunga Collective Redress Act 2025 No 1 
• The United Nations General Assembly includes the human right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment: the ocean and human rights
• Mehta, L. The Challenges of Decolonising Sustainability and the Environment in Development Studies (DS). Eur J Dev Res (2025). Read the article
• The 2025 LSAANZ Conference: Rights, Relationality, Resilience, Reciprocity, University of Canterbury - call for abstracts - 2025 LSAANZ Conference | University of Canterbury
• Round table exploration of the issues surrounding climate change and class discrimination law

Thank you for listening. If you found this episode valuable, we’d appreciate it if you liked, subscribed, shared it with others, or consider leaving us a review. 

Would you like to leave us a comment about our show? send us a note here

Visit our podcast website - where you can find more information, including the show notes. 

You can also find us on the following platforms:

• LinkedIn - Liz & Cristy
• Bluesky - Liz & Cristy
• Our websites - Liz & Cristy 

In this episode of Law at the End of the World we are joined by natural resources and climate law scholar Julia Dehm. Julia discusses the challenges of balancing theoretical research work with real-world research impact, the importance of mainstreaming climate change in legal education, and the juggle of balancing a career with family responsibilities. 

In addition to reflecting on Julia's talk, Cristy and Liz discuss recent developments in environmental law, and reflect on their future research directions and the need for collaboration within the legal community.

Show notes 

See below for a list of resources relevant to the themes or issues discussed during this episode

• More information on our guest, Associate Proffessor Julia Dehm, can be found here
• Naomi Klein and Astra Taylor, ‘The rise of end times fascism’ (The Guardian, 13 April 2025) 
• Find more on the: Climate Conscious Lawyers
• Petra Stock, ‘Coalition scores just 1/100 points for environment and climate policies from conservation organisation’ (The Guardian, 14 April 2025) - Read article
• OHCHR Calls for Inputs - Submit or review current calls
• Alessandro Pelizzon, Ecological Jurisprudence: The Law of Nature and the Nature of Law (Springer, 2025) - find the article here
• Cristy Clark, Legal Geographies of Water: The Spaces, Places and Narratives of Human-Water Relations (Routledge, 2026) - Link to the article
• University of Leeds, Riverkin: remaking vital relations with rivers - Project info
• Berkeley Law, Roundtable on Climate Change and Class Discrimination Law, Event details
• Frontiers Planet Prize national winners announced -  Royal Society Te Apārangi
• The 2025 LSAANZ Conference: Rights, Relationality, Resilience, Reciprocity, University of Canterbury - Call for Abstracts 

Thank you for listening. Please consider subscribing, sharing or leave us a review.

Would you like to leave us a comment about our show? send us a note here

Visit our podcast website - where you can find more information, including the show notes. 

You can also find us on the following platforms:

• LinkedIn - Liz & Cristy
• Bluesky - Liz & Cristy
• Our websites - Liz & Cristy 

In this episode we are joined by critical environmental law scholar Emily Jones to explore the intersections of environmental law, feminism, and academia. Emily discusses her personal journey into academia, the role of feminist theory in environmental law, and the implications of post-human feminism. She makes the case for including more-than-human-rights in the concept of future generations, and discusses the eay in which feminist legal theory can help everyone. We also discuss the importance of collaboration in academia, the intersection of doctrinal and critical legal approaches, and the challenges faced by scholars in navigating their careers. As usual, Cristy and I round off with recent developments in environmental law, including a new General Comment on economic, social, and cultural rights, and the increasing trend of climate litigation. We pay tribute to influential environmental leaders and discuss the implications of a wide range of environmental laws, from international treaties to managing local environmental challenges such as nitrate pollution.

Who Benefits – a spotlight on lobbying, influence and power

Emily Jones

No future for future generations: who is international environmental law for?

The Rights of Nature as a Legal Response to the Global Environmental Crisis?

Feminist Theory and International Law: Posthuman Perspectives

Posthuman Convergences: Transdisciplinary Methods and Practices

International Law and Posthuman Theory

Supreme Court - Ellis

74 countries have now ratified a landmark treaty to protect the high seas. Why hasn’t NZ?

Protecting orange roughy 

New findings on nitrates in rural drinking water

Fighting nitrate pollution in Canterbury: MHV

Global climate litigation

Right to a healthy environment Webinar Registration

Called to the Bar: International Law over Drinks 

General comment No. 27 (2025)

Inter-American Commission on Human Rights

Syv modevirksomheder retter ind efter greenwashing  &nb

Would you like to leave us a comment about our show? send us a note here

Visit our podcast website - where you can find more information, including the show notes. 

You can also find us on the following platforms:

• LinkedIn - Liz & Cristy
• Bluesky - Liz & Cristy
• Our websites - Liz & Cristy 

Our guest for this episode is Alessandro Pelizzon, legal academic and author of Ecological Jurisprudence: The Law of Nature and the Nature of Law. We discuss the evolution of ecological jurisprudence, the importance of humility, the intersection of theory and practice, and the impact of utopian imaginings on legal paradigms. Liz and Cristy also highlight the critical role of language in legal scholarship - particularly in comparative contexts - reflecting on the significance of empirical methods in legal research and the need to understand the place-based and historical context of legal language. As usual, the episode finishes with our updates of recent developments environmental law, including some recent water law jurisprudence in Aotearoa New Zealand, Australia's climate targets, and legislative reforms for access to nature in the UK.

Ecological Jurisprudence: The Law of Nature and the Nature of Law | SpringerLink 

ELI v ECAN and MHV

High Court finds errors in nitrogen discharge consent — but law changes protect polluters

Taking action on nitrate | Environment Canterbury

ECan declares ‘nitrate emergency’ amid drinking water concerns

For Te Wiki o te Reo Māori, we look at the journey of te reo Māori in our courts

Albanese unveils ‘responsible’ new climate target to slash emissions over next decade | Australian politics | The Guardian

Australia’s biggest gas project greenlit to 2070 with ‘partial’ protection for Indigenous rock art | Environment

National Climate Risk Assessment

Climate litigation against Holcim: decision draws closer 

Outdoors For All Report 

Would you like to leave us a comment about our show? send us a note here

Visit our podcast website - where you can find more information, including the show notes. 

You can also find us on the following platforms:

• LinkedIn - Liz & Cristy
• Bluesky - Liz & Cristy
• Our websites - Liz & Cristy 

In this episode, Cristy Clark and Elizabeth Macpherson explore the intersections of climate change with the rights of children, future generations, and to care, as well as the question of how to have an impact as an academic. Our guest Aoife Nolan shares her journey into legal academia and beyond, discussing her commitment to children's rights and socio-economic justice. She explores the interconnections between austerity politics and rights, and her approach to balancing academic work with policy engagement. Aoife offers valuable advice for early career researchers on building networks and navigating their careers while maintaining balance and self-compassion, and also emphasises the need for later career academics to provide opportunities.

Liz and Cristy finish up by discussing new developments in environmental law, including recent case law related to climate change, Indigenous rights, and environmental law. The conversation also explores the recent Inter-American Court advisory opinion on the right to care, and consumer law's role in combating greenwashing.

Takutai Moana Victory for Ruapuke

Riverbeds' in Māori customary marine title

Corte Interamericana de Derechos Humanos

Posthuman Convergences

Climate Kids

A Critical Feminist Evaluation of Climate Adaptation Law

The Racial Discrimination Act at 50

Cooper v Minister for Environment and Water [2025] FCA 1009

Burrup Peninsula ruling

Court upholds DUH's lawsuit re Apple watches

Swiss Mitigation case

A Human Rights approach to the energy Just Transition

Tanya Plibersek approved water plan without reading

Would you like to leave us a comment about our show? send us a note here

Visit our podcast website - where you can find more information, including the show notes. 

You can also find us on the following platforms:

• LinkedIn - Liz & Cristy
• Bluesky - Liz & Cristy
• Our websites - Liz & Cristy 

In this episode of 'Law at the End of the World', hosts Elizabeth Macpherson and Cristy Clark interview Dr Erin O'Donnell, water law expert and author of 'Legal Rights for Rivers', about her journey from desert ecology to pioneering research on river personhood and Indigenous water justice.

Erin discusses her groundbreaking work on legal rights for rivers, her role on the Birrarung Council, the voice of Melbourne's Yarra River, and her current research exploring how treaty processes could address 'aqua nullius' and increase traditional owner power in water governance. The conversation covers research methodologies that prioritise Indigenous partnership and reciprocity, the temporality of relational governance, and practical approaches to recognising rivers as living entities. The episode concludes with updates on significant environmental law developments including the ICJ climate advisory opinion and recent legislative changes across jurisdictions.

Dr Erin O'Donnell 

The bill that will torch Māori-Crown relations

Response to the Government’s limitations on judicial review under the Fisheries Act

Resource Management (Consenting and Other System Changes) Amendment Bill 105-3 (2024))

Millewa-Mallee native title win gives traditional owners exclusive rights

Cowichan Tribes v. Canada

International Law and Posthuman Theory

The Māori values that make good sense in science

Obligations of States in respect of Climate Change

Inter-American Court of Human Rights Advisory Opinion

River Test Motion

Unyoke the Sciences From the Humanities

Would you like to leave us a comment about our show? send us a note here

Visit our podcast website - where you can find more information, including the show notes. 

You can also find us on the following platforms:

• LinkedIn - Liz & Cristy
• Bluesky - Liz & Cristy
• Our websites - Liz & Cristy