Environment courts and tribunals are important in order to resolve environmental disputes and ensure implementation of environmental law. According to the UN Environmental Program, there are approximately 2500 environmental courts and tribunals established across nearly 70 countries worldwide. (See Environmental Courts and Tribunals – 2021: A Guide for Policy Makers).
However, at the international level, there are big gaps. There is an International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea, and the possibility to take environmental cases to the International Court of Justice and the International Criminal Court.
However, all three of these are limited in terms of both jurisdiction and expertise to deal with the wide range of environmental issues and applicable environmental law. An International Environment Court (or International Court for the Environment) could fill these big gaps.
Establishment of an International Environment Court has been proposed by the International Bar Association (IBA) which has helped establish an International Court for the Environment Coalition to campaign for the establishment of such a court. (See Time for an International Court for the Environment).
This has also been supported by the Climate Change Commission and MEGA. The possible structure, jurisdiction and operations of such a court are explored in Advancing Earth System Governance: Key Achievements and Propositions for Meaningful Progress Towards a Global Eco-Social Contract, a chapter of the 2025 publication Eco-social contracts for sustainable and just futures.