Candice Meera Maharaj
Research Area: Environmental Law, Constitutional Law
Email: candice.maharaj@ucdconnect.ie
Supervisor: Dr Andrew Jackson
Thesis title: The Right to a Healthy Environment
Abstract
This project investigates the fundamental right to a healthy environment in the context of the Irish Constitution. The right was notably discussed in the landmark ‘Climate Case Ireland’ where it was ultimately found not to exist. Approximately three years later, the Citizens’ Assembly on Biodiversity Loss recommended that there be a referendum to amend the Constitution to include environmental rights, including the human right to a healthy environment.
This project will determine the content, scope, and operationalisation of the right. It will argue that a distinct right to a healthy environment occupies a unique place in the constitutional framework that cannot be totally covered by existing rights. The aim of this project is to contribute to the understanding of the topic, which can in turn lead to further development of the law.
Biography
Candice is a PhD researcher at UCD Sutherland School of Law, focusing on the fundamental right to a healthy environment in Ireland. Candice holds an LLM in Public International Law and an LLB from the University of Edinburgh. She is a Graduate Teaching Assistant and has tutored on various courses in the law school. Candice is also currently an assistant editor of the International Association of Constitutional Law (IACL-AIDC) Blog.