The book The Rights of Children and Youth in the Climate Crisis: Action and Litigation, by Aoife Daly, Florencia Paz Landeira and Liesl Muller, published by Routledge in 2026, explores the relationship between the climate crisis, children’s rights and environmental justice.

The climate crisis is also a human rights crisis, affecting children’s rights to life, health, education, development and participation. Drawing on the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, the authors examine how children and young people are not merely individuals requiring protection, but active rights-holders who contribute to shaping legal and political responses to climate change.

The volume analyses children’s and young people’s engagement in climate advocacy, governance and litigation at local, national and international levels. It highlights how their participation can influence public debate, legal developments and institutional accountability, while contributing to a broader understanding of intergenerational justice.

The book approaches the climate crisis not only as an environmental challenge, but also as a human rights issue. It highlights the importance of integrating children’s rights into climate policies and decision-making processes, recognising that environmental protection is closely connected to dignity, equality and social justice.

The volume calls attention to the need for institutional and legal frameworks that recognise children and young people as active contributors to climate governance. Their participation can strengthen accountability, promote long-term thinking and support responses to the climate crisis that are more inclusive and equitable.

By placing children and young people at the centre of climate action, the book emphasises the importance of meaningful participation and of recognising their perspectives in decisions that affect their present and future.

The book is available open access under a Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) 4.0 International licence.