ADAPTING INTERNATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL LAW TO CLIMATE CHANGE: INSTITUTIONAL EVOLUTION AND NORMATIVE CHALLENGES

The climate crisis exposes fundamental inadequacies in existing environmental governance frameworks. This thesis examines structural and normative adaptations required to align international environmental law (IEL) with the unique characteristics of anthropogenic climate change. Through analysis of treaty evolution and emerging legal doctrines, this paper argues that effective climate governance necessitates paradigmatic shifts in how international law conceptualizes state responsibility, intergenerational equity, and planetary boundaries.