Advancing Earth-Centered Law for a Just and Thriving Planet
The Consortium for Ecological Law (CEL) was founded on a clear and urgent conviction: that the legal systems governing humanity’s relationship with the natural world must fundamentally change. Every dimension of our work is guided by a shared mission to protect the biosphere and a shared vision of a planet where law and ecology exist in harmony.
The Mission of the Consortium for Ecological Law
The Consortium for Ecological Law develops practical legal tools and policies to protect the biosphere and climate system through rigorous research, international advocacy, and collaborative action across borders and sectors.
Our mission reflects a deliberate commitment to systemic reform. We do not simply seek to patch existing environmental regulations—we work to shift the foundational logic of law itself. We are driving the global transition from an anthropocentric framework that treats Nature as a resource to be managed for human benefit, to an ecocentric system that recognizes the intrinsic rights of the Earth’s living networks.
Our Vision
The Vision That Drives Us
The Consortium for Ecological Law promotes climate justice and long-term sustainability through the holistic stewardship of Earth’s climate and biosphere — ensuring that both present and future generations inherit a thriving, living planet.
Four Foundational Pillars
This vision is operationalized across four foundational pillars:
Rights of Nature Advocacy: Advancing legal frameworks that recognize ecosystems, rivers, forests, and the atmosphere as rights-bearing entities with concrete legal standing worldwide.
Climate Justice: Developing practical legal instruments to hold governments and corporations accountable for climate harm, directly supporting the Paris Agreement and the 2025 ICJ Advisory Opinion.
Policy Research & Think-Tank Work: Preparing policy proposals and providing expert guidance to UN bodies, governments, and civil society to translate complex legal developments into accessible tools.
Grassroots Partnerships & Education: Empowering grassroots organizations—particularly those led by youth and Indigenous Peoples—with the legal knowledge and global networks needed to drive change from the ground up.
- Rights of Nature Advocacy
- Climate Justice
- Policy Research & Think-Tank Work
- Grassroots Partnerships & Education
A Global Think-Tank for Earth-Centered Legal Reform
The Consortium for Ecological Law serves as a global think tank and facilitator dedicated to implementing and giving practical effect to the human right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment, recognized in UN General Assembly Resolution 76/300, and to the legal obligations affirmed by the International Court of Justice’s 2025 advisory opinion on climate justice.
As a Think Tank
We bring together legal scholars, policy experts, practitioners, and advocates to develop the research, legal frameworks, and policy tools necessary to translate these landmark international developments into practical action.
As a Facilitator
We build partnerships among governments, international institutions, Indigenous communities, grassroots organizations, and civil society to support implementation at every level of governance.
Translating Emerging Legal Milestones into Action
Research and Policy Development
Conducting and commissioning legal research to translate ecological law principles into specific legislative and regulatory tools for governments and international bodies.
Knowledge Sharing & Education
Making ecological law accessible and actionable for practitioners, policymakers, academic institutions, grassroots organizations, Indigenous communities, and youth leaders through publications, events, and educational partnerships.
International & Institutional Cooperation
Partnering with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the UN General Assembly, and relevant treaty bodies to establish genuine pathways for policy adoption.
Strategic Partnerships & Advocacy
Collaborating with Pace University’s Global Center for Environmental Legal Studies and the Pace Energy and Climate Center to advance the COPx Climate Action Platform. Building on a decade of engagement with the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) for nature-based energy systems, CEL supports the Pace Energy and Climate Center’s membership in IRENA’s Coalition for Action.
Rights of Nature Mobilization
Collaborating and developing a joint strategy with the Pace University Global Center for Environmental Legal Studies and key partners to advance the UN Harmony with Nature Programme and the rights of Nature developments, including the conceptual development of Earth Jurisprudence and the launch of Assemblies of Mother Earth worldwide.
What Sets the Consortium for Ecological Law Apart
Systemic Legal Transformation, Not Just Compliance
While most environmental organizations work within existing rules to enforce compliance, we work to alter the foundational framework of environmental governance from human-centered to Earth-centered.
Deep Institutional Grounding in International Law
Uniquely positioned at the intersection of academic rigor and international governance, combining the legal scholarship of Pace University’s law school with direct board-level engagement at the UN, ICJ, and IUCN.
Commitment to Inclusive and Rights-Based Approaches
Placing the rights of Indigenous Peoples, future generations, frontline communities, and Nature itself at the absolute center of global policy development.
Core Values of the Consortium for Ecological Law
Transparency
The Consortium for Ecological Law is committed to operating openly and honestly in all its activities. Financial records, legal registrations, and organizational decisions are made available to the public.
Credibility
The advocacy of the Consortium for Ecological Law is grounded in rigorous legal scholarship, authoritative academic partnerships, and a deep respect for the integrity of legal processes.
Accountability
The Consortium for Ecological Law holds itself to the same standard of accountability it advocates for in law — to the Earth, to present and future generations, and to the communities most affected by ecological and climate disruption.
Inclusivity
Indigenous Peoples, youth leaders, Global South communities, and frontline advocates are central to the work of the Consortium for Ecological Law — not peripheral to it. The Consortium is committed to facilitating genuinely inclusive processes.
Sustainability
The Consortium for Ecological Law is committed to long-term sustainability in its operations, its partnerships, and its financial stewardship — building an institution capable of driving ecological law reform for generations to come.
Respect for Biodiversity
Every element of the Consortium for Ecological Law’s work is guided by a deep respect for the full diversity of life and the legal frameworks needed to protect it.
Community Engagement
The Consortium for Ecological Law is committed to engaging meaningfully with communities around the world, listening to their experiences of ecological harm, and co-creating legal solutions that reflect their needs, values, and rights.
Support and Expansion of Environmental Law Education
The Consortium for Ecological Law is committed to supporting environmental law education at every level — from law school curricula and academic research to public outreach and practitioner training.
From Human-Centered to Earth-Centered Law
The legal systems that govern environmental protection were designed within a worldview that places human beings at the center of all legal consideration — treating the natural world as background, resource, and externality rather than as a community of living systems with inherent rights and value.
Earth-centered law begins from a different premise. It recognizes that human beings are part of Nature, not separate from it. It recognizes that the atmosphere, the ocean, rivers, forests, and the soil are not simply resources to be allocated and regulated, but living systems whose integrity is a precondition for all life — including human life.
This is increasingly recognized in international law. The human right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment was recognized in UNGA Resolution 76/300 on July 28, 2022. The International Court of Justice issued a landmark advisory opinion on climate justice on July 23, 2025, confirming that States carry binding legal obligations to protect the climate system for present and future generations.
What the Consortium for Ecological Law Is Working to Achieve
Advance Earth-Centered Governance
Supporting the active implementation of UNGA Resolution 76/300, the 2025 ICJ advisory opinion, and the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework through enforceable laws at all jurisdictions.
Protect 30% of Earth’s Land and Oceans by 2030
Developing and advocating for the mandatory domestic and international legal frameworks needed to make the global 30×30 target enforceable, while directly supporting Indigenous-led and community-led conservation initiatives.
Accelerate a Just Energy Transition
Developing the legal and policy frameworks required to transition away from fossil fuels in an equitable manner that is grounded in Earth-centered governance and nature-based energy systems.
Empower Grassroots and Indigenous Constituencies
Building powerful global partnerships that arm youth leaders, frontline communities, and Indigenous Peoples with the legal tools, public mandate, and knowledge needed to drive systemic change in their own contexts.
FAQs
What is the mission of the Consortium for Ecological Law?
The mission of the Consortium for Ecological Law is to develop policies and legal tools to protect the biosphere and climate through research, advocacy, and global collaboration. The Consortium works to transition legal systems worldwide from human-centered environmental frameworks toward Earth-centered laws that recognize the intrinsic rights of Nature.
What is the vision of the Consortium for Ecological Law?
The vision of the Consortium for Ecological Law is a world in which law and ecology exist in harmony — where the rights of Nature are legally recognized and enforceable, climate justice is a binding legal obligation, and the biosphere is protected through Earth-centered legal frameworks at every level of governance.
What does the Consortium for Ecological Law mean by Earth-centered law?
Earth-centered law refers to legal frameworks that place the health and integrity of the Earth’s ecosystems at the center of legal consideration. It recognizes that natural systems have inherent rights to exist, regenerate, and flourish, and that human beings are part of Nature, not separate from it.
Make an Impact
Collaborate with us to shape Earth-centered policies and drive meaningful environmental change on a global scale.
