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In this episode, we explore the tension inherent in researching environmental law in the context of an increasingly politicised research context. We share Liz's inaugural professorial lecture from October 2024, and Cristy uses the opportunity to interview Liz about why she researchers water law. We discuss typical problems encountered in settler-colonial water law frameworks, and how innovative governance models, like that for the Whanganui River in Aotearoa New Zealand, suggest potentail other ways for governing human-water relationships. As always, Cristy and Liz explore recent developments in environmental law, water governance, climate change policies, and Indigenous rights, sharing insights and updates on key legal cases and policy reforms in Australia and beyond. Key hilights include a public law climate case in Aotearoa, a judicial review about engagement with First Nations about water allocation decisions in Australia, and a win for the case opposing oil and gas exploration off the coast of South Africa. Video of Liz's Professorial Lecture Why science must reinforce its social contract | Nature on Science Communication. - by Peter Dearden - Snarked Setting a pluralist agenda for water governance: Why power and scale matter  Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu - headstart Iwi proposal would reshape councils around mountains and rivers Michael John Smith v Attorney-General High Court rules in favour of native title holders fighting Northern Territory water licence  Court Awards $62 Million to Isabel Communities Over Unlawful Logging Landmark judgment in South Africa permanently halts Shell’s Wild Coast oil and gas exploration 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 & CristyBluesky - Liz & CristyOur websites - Liz & Cristy

In this episode, Cristy and Liz explore academic career planning with our very special guest, Professor Inger Mewburn (AKA The Thesis Whisperer), who talks to us about her own academic career, her current research, her work with PhD students and neurodivergent academics, and the under-rated skill of project management for researchers (the subject of her latest book). As usual, we also share recent developments in domestic and international environmental law, including climate change litigation, water rights, and heritage protection. https://thesiswhisperer.com Managing Your Research Project: A Guide for Researchers Climate adaptation without funding is planning without delivery | EDS  Under the Lens | Podcast on Spotify NZ’s overhaul of nature protection laws is a chance to move away from ‘fortress conservation’ NZ's climate goals off-track - Expert Reaction - Science Media Centre  Hard Truths Case Papunya Climate Safe Housing Case Australian Conservation Foundation Inc; Friends of Australian Rock Art Inc v Minister for the Environment and Water & Anor 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 & CristyBluesky - Liz & CristyOur websites - Liz & Cristy

In this episode, Mihnea Tănăsescu joins us to discuss his groundbreaking research on Ecocene Politics. Mihnea reflects on how we can conceptualise human relationships with nature, with particular attention to learning from place-based restoration projects and Indigenous legal systems. We critically explore how hope, despair, and lucidity can help or hinder our attempts to make sense of the ecological challenges communities are facing around the world. We also discuss the ways that legal and political theory scholars can draw on and connect to other academic disciplines, like ecology, and use fieldwork to ground their thinking in lived experiences and place. As always, Cristy and Liz round off with their updates about environmental law developments, including further developments in Aotearoa's climate tort saga and the status of Aborignal cultural heritage reform and climate litigation in Australia. Profile of Mihnea Tanasescu (UMONS)  Ecocene Politics Researching river personhood: Making the case for relational research methods Law and the Environment: An Act of Legal Kintsugi? Woodside case  Australian position on fossil fuels and renewables Western Australia and Aboriginal heritage  Inequality lab global justice project Complaint laid with Ombudsman about 'apparent withholding' of information by PM's office Committee recommends disestablishing Environment Ministry despite public opposition 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 & CristyBluesky - Liz & CristyOur websites - Liz & Cristy

In this episode, Associate Professor Erin O'Donnell (U Melbourne) joins us as a guest co-host to chat with us about the perils, pitfalls, and promise of researching in the burgeoning field of rights of nature. We discuss the top methodological challenges inherent in doing research about the rights of nature and legal personhood, and provide our thoughts about how to do this sort of work ethically and in a way that contributes to the scholarly field, the community, and nature itself. As always, we round off with our updates about developments in environmental law including cases, legislation, and policy changes. Highlights include international pressure to implement the ICJ Advisory Opinion on climate change, climate litigation in Australia, and fisheries and conservation reforms and government interference with climate litigation in Aotearoa New Zealand. People, Place and Nature in Indigenous-Settler Relations Doing research about relational water governance… relationally: Critical methodological reflections about legal research on river personhood UN experts urge states to support General Assembly resolution operationalising  ICJ Advisory Opinion on climate obligations Climate Change in the High Court of Australia Statutory Consultation open: Environmental Offsets Standard River Thames in London gets first official bathing spot on Friday 3rd Global Citizenship Education Hub Missed opportunities in the Fisheries Amendment Bill The quiet but major shift slipped in among the conservation law reforms New plans to encourage private investment in nature Climate law changes have 'clearly struck a nerve' Mercury NZ Ltd v Māori Land Court 2026-NZCA-91.pdf  Ours Not Mines Limited v Hauraki District Council [2026] NZCA 138  Recommendations-for-ethical-engagement-of-IKS-within-the-IPCC 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 & CristyBluesky - Liz & CristyOur websites - Liz & Cristy

In this episode, Cristy interviews Liz about her Blue Carbon Futures research program. While it’s been claimed that blue carbon ecosystems can sequester up to 10 times more carbon than terrestrial forests, the legal frameworks needed to protect and restore them are fragmented, contested, and in many cases, underdeveloped. Liz unpacks how ownership disputes, traditional land law boundaries, and colonial legacies create hurdles for Indigenous communities trying to restore and finance these vital wetlands. Priority questions for the next decade of blue carbon scienceTe Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu and Minister of Conservation 2026High Court pauses Ngāi Tahu challenge to Conservation reformsSmiler v Attorney-General [2026] NZHC 375Our Freshwater 2026 Tō Tātou Wai Māori Australasian Centre for Corporate Responsibility v. Santos Ltd UniSuper referred to ASIC over alleged greenwashingACF adds new ground to North West Shelf case MACH Energy Australia v DAMSHEG & AnorNT's McArthur River MineThe Future of Freshwater 3nd Global Citizenship Education HubTransforming food systems through human rightsWould 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 & CristyBluesky - Liz & CristyOur websites - Liz & Cristy

In this episode we are joined by lawyer and activist Pía Weber Salazar who discusses her collective work securing legal protections for free flowing rivers in Chile. Pía explains how communities and activist coalitions are working together to protect entire river systems. This work focuses on the implementation of water flow reserves in the Futalefú and Puelo Rivers in Chilean Patagonia, where almost all of the rivers' flow is now protected, despite fierce competition from extractive industries and fragmented regulations. Pía emphasises how legal, community, academic and advocacy efforts can come together to secure better futures for rivers and related communities, and identifies the challenges that lie ahead.  As always, Cristy and Liz round off with recent developments in environmental law, including new developments in climate litigation from Europe, Australia and Aotearoa, the ongoing legal battle against nitrate polution in Canterbury, and large-scale resource management reforms underway in Aotearoa.  Futaleufú and Puelo Become Chile’s First Protected Rivers Towards a Holistic Environmental Flow Regime in Chile Towards durable legal protections for rivers in Chile Evolving rights to (and of) water in Chile No more ministry for the Environment Assessment framework for carbon removals Changes to National Direction under the RMA MACA litigation Freshwater litigation in Canterbury ELI v ECan Climate Clinic Aotearoa v Minister of Energy and Resources Oxford Water Network  Talking about Methods | Frontiers of Sociolegal Studies WATER SHELF PODCAST: "Legal Geographies of Water" by Cristy Clark Asmania et al. vs Holcim - ECCHR: Rising sea levels: An island fights against its demise  ECLI:NL:RBDHA:2026:1347, Rechtbank Den Haag, C/09/659832 / HA ZA 24-53 (English translation) 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 & CristyBluesky - Liz & CristyOur websites - Liz & Cristy

In this episode, Cristy and Liz share Part Two of their LSAANZ Conference special on Rights and Resilience.  The episode brings highlights from the December 2025 Law and Society Association of Australia and New Zealand Conference, held in Ōtautahi Chirstchurch. The theme of the Conference was Rights, Relationality, Resilience, Reciprocity, and this episode focuses on sharing insights and advances from days two and three of the Conference - including book launches, Conference dinner, and Conference closing. The core hilight of the episode is a recording from the second keynote panel presentation on Rights and Resilience with Dr Keakaokawai Varner Hemi (U Waikato), Associate Professor and Rutherford Discovery Fellow Sereana Naepi (U Auckland), and Associate Professor Julia Dehm (La Trobe) beautifully curated by Cristy. This panel centres and champions the leadership of young Pacific leaders taking climate change to the highest court on the planet, and challenges all of us working in universities to make them places deserving of Māori and Pacific scholars, students, and communities. The episode is the second of two episodes bringing Conference highlights, and focuses on the Conference themes of Rights and Resilience, with particular focus on these concepts in the context of climate change, Pacific peoples, and education. 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 & CristyBluesky - Liz & CristyOur websites - Liz & Cristy

In this episode, Cristy and Liz share Part One of their LSAANZ Conference special on Relationality and Reciprocity.  The episode brings highlights from the December 2025 Law and Society Association of Australia and New Zealand Conference, held in Ōtautahi Chirstchurch. The theme of the conference was Rights, Relationality, Resilience, Reciprocity, and this episode focuses on sharing insights and advances from day one of the conference - including the early career workshop, conference opening, reception, and book prizes. The core hilight of the episode is a recording from the first keynote panel presentation on Relationality and Reciprocity with Māori leader Gerrard Albert (Whanganui Iwi), First Nations leader, scholar, activist and artist Professor Anne Poelina (University of Notre Dame and Martuwarra River Council), beautifully curated by Associate Professor Erin O'Donnell (University of Melbourne, Birrarung Council). The episode is the first of two episodes bringing Conference highlights, and focuses on the Conference themes of Relationality and Reciprocity, with particular focus on these concepts in the context of water governance, climate change, and Indigenous sovereignty. 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 & CristyBluesky - Liz & CristyOur websites - Liz & Cristy

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 & CristyBluesky - Liz & CristyOur 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 & CristyBluesky - Liz & CristyOur 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 & CristyBluesky - Liz & CristyOur 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 & CristyBluesky - Liz & CristyOur 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 & CristyBluesky - Liz & CristyOur 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 & CristyBluesky - Liz & CristyOur websites - Liz & Cristy

In this episode of 'Law at the End of the World', hosts Elizabeth Macpherson and Cristy Clark discuss the intersection of environmental law and human rights, and launch Cristy's new book, Legal Geographies of Water: The Spaces, Places and Narratives of Human-Water Relations. Cristy and Liz explore the lessons from the wideranging water governance case studies in Cristy's groundbreaking book, including England and Wales, Flint and Detroit, Chile, South Africa, Manila and the Whanganui River in Aotearoa New Zealand across water commodification, financialisation and relationality. Their conversation emphasises the importance of community-led, grassroots water governance and Cristy makes the case for a fundamental reconceptualisation of human-water relationships to achieve more equitable water governance. The episode concludes with updates on latest developments in environmental law. Show notes Cristy CLARK Legal Geographies of Water Total chaos’ on Eurostar Greenwashing renewable gas Fracking legal challenge Big Oil Wrongful Death Shell oil pollution Conservation without consent Defossilizing our economies Climate conscious lawyer Trends in climate change litigation How unusual is this UK heat and is climate change to blame? Māori landowners take Crown to High court ECan and irrigator drop appeals An aspirational approach to planetary futures Measuring human progress France Targets Fast Fashion 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 & CristyBluesky - Liz & CristyOur websites - Liz & Cristy