We are very pleased to highlight the publication of the open-access volume Sea Level Rise: Implications for Human Rights, edited by Prof. Elisa Fornalé (UBERN, WP6 Leader) and published by Springer.
The book examines the human rights implications of sea level rise, one of the most pressing consequences of climate change. As rising seas increasingly threaten the habitability of coastal areas and drive human mobility, the volume explores how international law is evolving in response to these common concerns.
Importantly, the book offers the first reflection on the application of the human rights justification theory – developed within the Horizon Europe HRJust Project – to the challenges posed by sea level rise. It analyses how states use justifications when interpreting their protective duties and adopting climate-related measures.
The volume is structured around three thematic sections:
🔹 Sea Level Rise, Stability and Security
🔹 Sea Level Rise and the Rights of Affected Populations
🔹 Sea Level Rise: New Developments at the International Level
The book features contributions from members of the UBERN and IIR teams, as well as from the HRJust Advisory Board, including:
- Elisa Fornalé, Sea Level Rise: Implications for Human Rights an Introduction
- Giuseppe Nesi & Elisa Fornalé, The Role of the UN Security Council in Addressing and Providing Responses to Peace and Security Risks Resulting From Sea Level Rise
- Veronika Bílková, Sea Level Rise and Human Rights
- Federica Cristani & Elisa Fornalé, Human Rights and Justifications in Climate Litigation: A First Attempt at Conceptualization
- Tamás Vince Ádány, Sovereignty, State Cooperation, and Sea Level Rise
- Federica Cristani, Assessing Innovative Sources for the Loss and Damage Mechanism: The Role and Prospective Regulation of Climate-Friendly Foreign Investment
📖 The book is available open access via Springer: https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-031-89171-7
📚 All contributions are also available through the Intersect Library of the Interesect Observatory.
The Volume was presented during a Human Rights Breakfast organized by the Permanent Mission of the Czech Republic to the United Nations in Geneva on 5 December 2025 by Prof. Elisa Fornalé (UBERN) and Prof. Veronika Bílková (IIR): https://hrjust-intersect-observatory.eu/uncategorized/hrjust-research-presented-at-human-rights-breakfast-in-geneva/
Image of the cover book from https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-031-89171-7