Environment & governance
A cross-disciplinary approach to protecting our planet
The UNSW Environment & Governance Research Group brings together leading international researchers in environmental politics, law and policy, biodiversity, climate security, food systems and environmental ethics. Our work has a common focus on improving law, public policy and international cooperation to protect ecosystems and manage the impact of human-induced environmental change. Having entered the Anthropocene – the epoch of dramatic human impacts on the Earth’s ecology and systems – our work crosses disciplines and charts paths for improved governance. We aim to support ecological sustainability and key human interests in health, justice and security into the long-term future.
The UNSW Environment & Governance Research Group is led by Professor Anthony Burke.
Research themes
Climate and security
We examine the intersections between climate change and international security, and climate change law and governance in traditional fora such as the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and new spaces such as the Security Council, regional organisations and civil society.
Biodiversity and oceans
Our research includes the law and governance of biodiversity across multiple jurisdictions and biomes, from terrestrial to marine, with a focus on the effectiveness of existing systems and potential lines of reform.
Energy and policy
We provide leading research on energy, water, food, and conservation policy and systems.
Justice and development
We ask important environmental justice questions through the lens of ethics, philosophy and norms, considering their intersection with governance and development processes.
Borderlands
This transdisciplinary journal is a key initiative of the Environment & Governance Research Group. Professor Anthony Burke is the Editor in Chief, and the international editorial advisory board includes key scholars in social theory and the environmental humanities.
Publications
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Climate Change and the UN Security Council – Edited by Shirley V. Scott and Charlotte Ku
Uranium – Anthony Burke
The Microbial State: Global Thriving and the Body Politic – Stefanie R. Fishel
Climate Change and Justice – Edited by Jeremy Moss
International Law in the Era of Climate Change – Edited by Rosemary Rayfuse and Shirley V. Scott
The New Environmental Governance – Cameron Holley, Neil Gunningham and Clifford Shearing
Our researchers
![Australian Defence Force Academy Visiting Fellow [2020-23] N.A.J. Taylor](https://api.research.unsw.edu.au/sites/default/files/images/profile/%40najtaylor%202020.JPG)