Corina Heri on Interpreting Environmental Human Rights: Narratives of Scarcity in Climate Litigation

On 9 April 2026, the Maastricht Centre for Human Rights hosted a Pick Our Brains session with Corina Heri, Associate Professor of human rights and climate change at Vrije Universiteit Brussel. During the session, she presented her research titled “Interpreting Environmental Human Rights: Narratives of Scarcity in Climate Litigation.”

The presentation examined how the interpretation of human rights in the context of climate change is shaped by underlying narratives, focusing in particular on the idea of scarcity. Drawing on the case law of the European Court of Human Rights, it explored how human rights protection is often limited by framing it against finite judicial resources, effectively balancing broad human needs against institutional constraints. Using recent climate cases as a central point, the presentation questioned this dominant framing and considered how it may restrict more far-reaching legal responses to environmental harm. 

The Pick Our Brains sessions of the Maastricht Centre for Human Rights bring together PhD researchers, senior members of the Centre, and colleagues from other research groups and institutions. These sessions aim to stimulate intellectual exchange, foster potential collaborations within and beyond the Centre, and provide an opportunity to receive feedback on ongoing or forthcoming research.