Environmental Law Institute

Abstract This essay explores the increasing role of private commercial actors within international organizations ( io s) and the implications for international law. Once conceived as state-centred institutions, io s now routinely involve corporations, trade associations, and philanthropic foundations in lawmaking, policy-setting, financing, and implementation. These actors participate through multiple channels: as observers, delegates, stakeholders, funders, and partners. While private involvement has historical precedents, its contemporary scale and formalisation mark a significant transformation in global governance. International law, however, offers little guidance on the boundary between public and private authority, leaving legitimacy concerns unresolved. To evaluate privatisation, the article identifies two competing logics: a logic of representation, which grounds legitimacy in accountability and democratic participation, and a logic of production, which emphasizes outcomes, problem-solving capacity, and effectiveness. The challenge for international law is to hold these logics in tension by developing theories, rules, and conceptual categories that respond to conditions of hybridity in international organizations and shifts in the larger legal order.

The notion that natural entities like forests, rivers, lagoons, and glaciers should be turned from objects into legal subjects with their own rights or legal personality has increasingly gained traction in Europe. This is underscored by the legal recognition of the Mar Menor lagoon by the Spanish legislator, an Act upheld by the Constitutional Court.Skepticism surrounding the concept, however, remains., Among other things, this is because a range of alternative frameworks for the protection of nature have been developed in various European jurisdictions. These include the right of associations to file public interest lawsuits or judicial precedents establishing human rights obligations to curb harmful emissions. From this viewpoint, Rights of Nature – often perceived as an idea “transplanted” from the Global South – are rejected by some as incompatible with European legal traditions.Drawing on our comprehensive analysis of Rights of Nature initiatives adopted across Europe, we show that only a few have resulted in concrete Rights of Nature norms being incorporated into legislation. We nevertheless contend that evaluating the merits of Rights of Nature in Europe solely on the basis of their direct legal outcomes is unduly narrow. In the current "age of rights", asserting rights is frequently a means of catalyzing broader, transformative societal changes – changes that cannot be fully achieved through legal processes alone. Human rights as both legal and moral rights serve as a prime example of this phenomenon. Similarly, the animal rights movement has employed analogous strategies.Building on expressive theories of law, we argue that the European experience highlights the dual character of the Rights of Nature concept as both legal and expressive. Beyond its potential to generate direct doctrinal or institutional innovations, the expressive dimension of Rights of Nature can play a significant role in raising public awareness and increasing the salience of environmental issues. With its emotive language and symbolism affirming the intrinsic value of and our responsibility for local natural entities, such as the Swiss glaciers, the concept can play a role in reshaping public perceptions and fostering a deeper, more broadly shared commitment to environmental protection.

BackgroundUsing unguided podcast narratives offers a unique and original opportunity to access patient experiences and understand what patient’s value in their care journey in developing true patient-centered oncology models. Online health communities contain a wealth of information, including unsolicited patient experiences that may go beyond what is captured by guided surveys or patient-reported outcome instruments. This study describes patient experiences reported in a peer support community to gain insight into what patients share amongst each other and what they value.MethodsA purposive sample of 31 unguided, French-speaking self-reported patient narratives were collected from the podcast “Naitre princesse, devenir guerrière” registered between 2021 and 2024. Episodes included patient (n = 30) and tandem patient-professional (n = 1) voices, reflecting diverse cancer types, treatment stages, and lived experiences. A transdisciplinary team, including the podcast founder, conducted the thematic analysis to identify patterns of patient values across narratives.ResultsFrom patient narratives, six core themes of patient value emerged: (peer) support, empowerment, relationship with healthcare professionals, quality of life, cancer as an opportunity, and individuality. Narratives underscored patient value as rooted in reclaiming agency, redefining life priorities, and engaging in meaningful action. Participants revealed the irreplaceable role of peers in providing mutual understanding and solidarity, alongside ambivalent but pivotal relationships with healthcare professionals.ConclusionSelf-reported narratives from peer communities offer empirical evidence into patients’ priorities and lived realities, revealing what patients identify as meaningful in their cancer pathways. These findings accentuate the importance of transdisciplinary analysis of patient experiences beyond clinical outcomes and physician reports. Online health communities represent a promising but underexplored arena for understanding and integrating patient values into care, research, and policy. Future research should further examine their role in shaping participatory and value-driven health systems.

Non-performing assets (NPAs) are a key source of concern for Indian banks because they reflect badly on the performance of the banks. High NPAs signal a high risk of mass loan defaults, which can damage bank profitability and net value. Banks must set aside provisions to compensate for NPAs, which affects their total earnings and shareholder value. The issue of NPAs has received a lot of attention in the Indian financial sector. NPAs have an impact on the entire economy, not just banks. In truth, the high number of NPAs in Indian banks is only a reflection of the industry's and trade's general health. NPAs are higher in public sector banks than in private sector banks. Banks must schedule NPAs in order to increase efficiency and profitability. The government has made a lot of initiatives to reduce NPAs, but it will be difficult to totally remove them. However, by competing with global banks, Indian banks can attempt to meet worldwide standards. NPAs cause losses and poorer profitability in banks and the financial system, as well as an asset-liability mismatch. This is ultimately determined by how effectively banks handle various risks in their operations. The purpose of this research is to identify the issues that Indian banks confront by the NPA. These concerns and challenges were identified using secondary data from diverse sources. Then suggestions are offered about how to overcome these challenges. Keywords: Banking, NPA, asset, debt, default, challenges.

This article critically examines the fragmented legal framework governing environmental remedial measures in the Czech Republic. It also analyses the multiple legislative acts under which such measures can be imposed, including the overarching Act on the Environment, the specific Act on the Prevention of Environmental Damage (largely unused in practice), numerous component-specific laws (e.g. water, forests, nature protection), and regulations concerning historical environmental burdens (‘old ecological burdens’) predating privatisation. The analysis highlights the lack of a unified definition and procedure for remedial measures, the inconsistent application of the ‘polluter pays’ principle, issues surrounding the transfer of liability (particularly concerning privatised property and legal succession), and the practical challenges faced by administrative authorities. Despite legal fragmentation, the administrative data suggest that the remedial measures under specific acts are frequently imposed, albeit with limited recourse to appeals or judicial review, thus raising questions about enforcement effectiveness. The article further explores the impact of court proceedings, including the rare granting of suspensive effect to administrative complaints, and the interplay between public law obligations and private law claims. Finally, it addresses the implications of this complex regulatory landscape from a real estate perspective, considering disclosure requirements, the role of public databases such as SEKM, and the impact of environmental burdens on property marketing and valuation.

Abstract There is little doubt that conventional investment management takes into account material sustainability and ESG (environmental, governance, and social) matters. The more pertinent legal risk for investment managers is whether they would incur legal risk for failing to carry out certain ESG-related actions, such as engagement or divestment. As none of these actions are prescribed in the Stewardship Code to which investment managers may be voluntary signatories, challenges against asset owners (eg McGaughey & Davies v USS) would unlikely succeed as courts are arguably deferential to how investment management is carried out. The Financial Conduct Authority’s (FCA) requirement for most fund managers to produce Taskforce for Climate-related Financial Disclosures entity-level and product-level reports arguably supports the assumption that climate risk is material to investment management. Specifically labelled sustainability funds, which may be opted into under new FCA regulation, entail specific disclosure and conduct duties to maintain the integrity of the labels, and seem robust in combating greenwashing. Such regulation is not, however, about steering allocation or necessarily mandating the achievement of non-financial objectives directed by public policy.