Research in the Surrey Centre for International and Environmental Law
Find out more about the research projects the Surrey Centre for International and Environmental Law are involved with.
Spotlight on our research
Our research has great impact, and we are proud to highlight our achievements through a series of short films, told by our research authors.
Projects
- Thekli Anastasiou, The Role of Courts in Shaping Access to Asylum (ACCESS), University of Bologna, EU Horizon 2020 research and innovation program Grant Agreement No 101078683, 2023-2028, Country Expert: Greece
- Rosalind Malcolm: ESRC UK/Brazil Global Talent Exchange, 'Providing climate justice for marginalised groups in the implementation of the UN Global Plastics Treaty in Brazil', (£20,317) Co-lead. Grant ref: ES/Z504543/1 (2024-2025).
- Rethinking Plastics Pollution Post-Pandemic Dr Noreen O'Meara (PI), (2020–22), trilateral project involving the Universities of Surrey, São Paulo (USP) and Wollongong (UOW).
- IAA (ESRC/Surrey Impact Acceleration Account: 'STOP Single-Use Plastics: using stories to improve the governance of plastics pollution' (2022-23) (c.£20,000). Prof Rosalind Malcolm, Dr Noreen O'Meara, Dr Itziar Castelló-Molina.
- German Federal Ministry for Economic Co-operation and Development / Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ): 'Circular Economy for Businesses in Ethiopia (CEBAT)' (2021-22) (c.€78,533). Awarded as a consultancy contract to Prof Rosalind Malcolm and Dr Noreen O'Meara. Collaborators - Prof Belay Simane (Addis-Ababa University, Ethiopia) and Dr Francis Oremo (University of Nairobi).
- British Academy: 'Fighting Fake News in Covid Times' (c. £70,000) (2021-22). Awarded to Dr Itziar Castelló-Molina (PI), Dr Noreen O'Meara (CI). Collaborators - Dr Marie Joachim (Essca School of Management - CI) and Dr Elanor Colleoni (Universitá IULM - CI).
- Global Challenges Research Fund / AHRC ‘Wicked problem of Plastic Waste’ (2020–22) (£60,000; and extension funding) (University of Surrey: Prof Rosalind Malcolm and Dr Itziar Castello-Molina and University of Nairobi, Kenya: Prof Nicholas Oguge).
- Global Challenges Research Fund (QR): 'Testing Tools: Eliminating Plastics Waste' (c. £15,000). Prof Rosalind Malcolm (PI), Dr Noreen O'Meara (CI) and Dr Itziar Castelló-Molina (CI).
- Global Challenges Research Fund (QR): 'Building Collective Ownership of Single-Use Plastics in Youth Communities: case-studies from Kenya, Jamaica and Malawi' (c. £85,000). Professor Rosalind Malcolm, Dr Noreen O'Meara, Dr Itziar Castelló-Molina.
Publications
- Aristova, E., ‘Strategic Business and Human Rights Litigation: It is a Marathon, not a Sprint’ (forthcoming Business and Human Rights Journal, November 2025).
- Aristova, E., 'In a Rain of Dust: Death, Deceit, and the Lawyer Who Busted Big Asbestos' by David Kinley’ (book review, forthcoming 2025, Transnational Legal Theory).
- Lesniewska, F., ‘Making a case for radical circular economy legal research’ in Josephine van Zeben and Chris Hilson (eds), Research Agenda for Environmental Law, (Edward Elgar, 2025)
- Lesniewska, F., ‘Turning on the circular construction public procurement tap’ in Megan Bowman and Laura Mai (eds), A Research Agenda for Law, Finance, and the Environment (Edward Elgar, forthcoming)
- Lesniewska, F., and Kleppa Stærfeldt, L. ‘Article 9 Illegal Traffic’ in Alberto Quintavalla and Leonie Reins (eds) The Basel Convention: A Commentary on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and their Disposal (Edward Elgar, forthcoming)
- Lesniewska, F., Digital Product Passports: Gateway or Gatekeeper for a Sustainable Circular Economy?, blog post based on a paper for the SMART Network Symposium, Sustainability is (Still) Possible! Governing Market Actors for a Safe and Just Space, 18-19 September 2025, at the University of Turin
- Malcolm, R. and Pointing, J., Statutory Nuisance: Law and Practice (2025) (3rd ed, Oxford University Press).
- Malcolm, R., (2025) ‘Complexity in managing plastics’, Cambridge Prisms: Plastics, pp. 1–7. doi:10.1017/plc.2025.10020. (Letter).
- Malcolm R., Written evidence to Parliamentary Select Committee inquiry on ‘Preventing Waste and enabling Circular Economy’ 8 July 2025 ((PWC0044) at
- Lindner, A., Steenmans, K., Scotford, E. and Malcolm, R. (2025), 'Preventing the ‘wasting’ of waste: The expanding horizons of waste law.' Review of European, Comparative & International Environmental Law (RECIEL). (Editorial)
- Malcolm, R., Peacock, M. and Winton, S. (2025) 'Plastics, life cycle approaches and the law', Diálogos Socioambientais, 8(21), pp. 16–25. doi: 10.36942/dialogossocioambientais.v8i21.1174
- Peacock, M., Ghilardi-Lopes, N. P., Turra, A., Rech, T. F., Kawabe, L. A., Gatersleben, B., and Wyles, K. J. (2025). 'The future of citizen science for marine litter research: What are the benefits to be realised and the challenges to be overcome?' Marine pollution bulletin, 117914.
- Peacock, M., Winton, S. and Malcolm, R. (2025). Video presentation: 'Introduction to plastic pollution and climate change nexus – International Perspectives'. Presented at stakeholder workshop 17 June, 2025 and featured on Governing Plastics Network website
- Peacock, M., Castello Molina, I., Oguge, N., Oremo. F., O’Meara, N. and Malcolm, R. Plastics – a call to action. Online learning module adopted by Surrey CIFAL/UNITAR as short course in 2025.
- Malcolm, R. (2025) 'Industrial chicken farms are trashing Britain’s rivers – and planning reforms could make things worse' Published: April 3, 2025, The Conversation,
- Cantor, D., Burson, B., Aycock, B., Tan N.F., Anastasiou, T., Arnld-Fernandez, E., Field, C., Hansen-Lohrey, C., Kälin, W., Kane, G., Miron, S., Rao, M., Sánchez Mojica, B., Scissa, C., Weerasinghe, S. and Wood, T.(2024) 'International Protection, Disasters and Climate Change', International Journal of Refugee Law, 36 (1-2), 176–197.
- Kourmouli, A., & Lesniewska, F. (2024). 'Losing ground: targeting agricultural land take by enabling a circular economy in construction'. Circular Economy and Sustainability, 4(1), 459-473.
- Yadav, S. K., O’Meara, N., & Malcolm, R. (2024). 'Conceptualizing Climate Law in India'. Climate Law, 14(2), 165-197.
- Rosalind Malcolm and Alexandra Mikheeva-Ashe, 2024, Plastics, Products and Life-Cycle Thinking in the European Union in (eds. Kirk, Popattanachai, Barnes, van der Marel) Research Handbook on Plastics Regulation: Law, Policy and the Environment (Edward Elgar 2024) ISBN: 978 1 80220 151 2
- Yadav, S. K., and Malcolm, R. (2024). 'Landmark court ruling will have huge implications for new fossil fuel projects in UK'. The Conversation.
- Simane, B., Malcolm, R., O’Meara, N. et al. 'Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices on Circular Economy among Senior Managers of Ethiopian Textiles and Agro-Food Processing Companies'. Circular Economy and Sustainability, 4, 3093–3117 (2024).
- Sarvarian, A. (2024) 'The Impact on 'Diversity' of the UNCITRAL-ICSID Code of Conduct' in Giorgetti and Titi (eds), Ethics in Investor-State Dispute Settlement (Nijhoff, International Dispute Resolution Series, September 2024).
Conference papers
- E. Aristova, ‘Climate Change and Private International Law’, in-person presentation at the inaugural conference of the Australasian Association of Private International Law, 16-17 April 2025.
- Lesniewska. F, Space Assets: The New Frontier for Critical Infrastructure Regulation?, Security, Digital Infrastructure and Fundamental Rights Workshop, Erasmus University, Rotterdam, 3-4 June 2025
- Lesniewska. F, Shifting Regolith: Taxonomies of Sustainability for Lunar Mining - A Critical Techno-legal Perspective, Space Resources as Critical Minerals Conference, Nottingham University, 8-9 July 2025
- Lesniewska. F, Climate Duties After the ICJ Advisory Opinion: Recasting Disaster Risk Management in Law and Practice, UKADR (UK Alliance for Disaster Research) conference, Durham University, 4-5 September 2025
- Lesniewska. F, Legal Conflicts between Climate Change Adaptation Policy and Planning and Infrastructure Law in England: Implications for Blue-Green Infrastructure Management – A Case Study of Surrey County Council, European Environmental Law Forum (EELF), University of Ghent, 10-12 September 2025
- Lesniewska. F, Circular Track and Trace: The Rise and Rise of Digital Product Passports as a Gateway to Sustainable Circular Economy- a Legal Analysis, Sustainability is (Still) Possible! Governing Market Actors for a Safe and Just Space, SMART Network Symposium, Turin, Italy, 18 - 19 September 2025
- Rosalind Malcolm, Roland Clift, George Martin, Simon Mair, 'Living well on a finite planet: A multidimensional systems approach to sustainability leading to climate change adaptation', 12th European Environmental Law Forum, University of Ghent, September 2025
- Rosalind Malcolm, Roland Clift, George Martin, Simon Mair, 'LIVING WELL ON A FINITE PLANET: A multidimensional systems approach to sustainability', SMART Network Symposium: 'Sustainability is (still) possible', SMART Network, University of Turin, September 2025
- Rosalind Malcolm, 'Theorizing Ecocide: Using a Common Treasury approach to ecocide law', Ecocide in Global Politics, University of Bristol, June 2025
- Rosalind Malcolm, 'Governing Circular Economies on a Finite Planet', Academy of International Business UK and Ireland, University of Surrey, April 2025
- Rosalind Malcolm, 'An international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution, including in the marine environment', PIEL UK’s 19th Annual Conference, City St George’s London University, 22 April 2025
- Rosalind Malcolm, 'An international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution, including in the marine environment', Plastics Dialogues Symposium: ‘Material Flows : the hidden afterlives of plastic waste’, Amsterdam 11 March 2025
- Lesniewska. F, Sustainably Managing the Triple Planetary Crisis from Space: Disentangling the Astropolitical, (Geo)ecological and Legal Conflicts on Earth, Earth Space Systems Sustainable Governance and Futures, Utrecht University, 12-13 November 2024
- Rosalind Malcolm, Eco-Designing the Future: Navigating Legal Frontiers in the EU's Sustainable Products Regulation, University of Lisbon, November 2024
- Rosalind Malcolm, Simon Fraser University, Vancouver, Canada, ‘Global Plastic Waste Workshop’, 19 April 2024 (2 invited talks: Global Focus workshop: ‘Lifecycle thinking and law for a Global Plastics Treaty’ and public forum: ‘The Wicked Problem of Plastic and the Discourse surrounding its Governance’).
- Rosalind Malcolm, Academy of European Law (ERA), Annual Conference on EU Environmental Law 2024, Roundtable: 'How to handle chemical toxicity through environmental law: Impacts on nature and human health and the role of law', Trier, 14-15 March 2024 (invited speaker)
Public events and workshops
Garner Lecture 2025
Tuesday 25 November, 5.30-7.30pm, Institute for Sustainability Boardroom, Room 14AA02
Join the free live streaming of UKELA's annual Garner Lecture, featuring Baroness Young of Old Scone and
chaired by Tom Burke CBE, both esteemed patrons of UKELA. Dive deep into crucial environmental topics with a live Q&A session, followed by an engaging discussion with our expert panel 3 all while enjoying pizza and drinks!Conserving Forests After COP30
Wednesday 3 December,2-6.15pm, University of Surrey
- E. Aristova, ‘Beyond borders: Human rights in a changing climate’, panellist at the global Right Here Right Now Climate Change Summit, 5 June 2025, University of Oxford, Oxford.
- E. Aristova, ‘The Legally Disruptive Nature of Climate Change and the Role of Universities’, organiser and moderator of the panel discussion, Bonavero Institute of Human Rights, 4 June 2025, Oxford.
- E. Aristova, ‘Bonavero Series Report Launch: International Human Rights Obligations in relation to Climate Change’, moderator of the report launch, Bonavero Institute of Human Rights, 13 May 2025, Oxford.
- E. Aristova, ‘Enterprise Jurisdiction & Business and Human Rights Litigation’ presenter at the webinar, 6 May 2025, organised by University of Bologna.
- E. Aristova, ‘ESG and Fraud’, panellist, Fraud Conference 2025: Theory into Action, 23 April 2025, London.
- E. Aristova, ‘Corporate Accountability and Global Supply Chains: Lessons from Litigation in the English Courts’, in-person talk at the University of Queensland, 14 April 2025, Brisbane.
- E. Aristova, ‘Corporate Climate Litigation: Global Trends and Lessons for the Asia-Pacific Region’, in-person talk at the National University of Singapore, 17 February 2025, Singapore.
- E. Aristova, ‘Greenwashing Claims’, online presentation at the judicial training organised by the British Institute of International and Comparative Law, 7 February 2025, London.
- E. Aristova, ‘Corporate Climate Litigation: What’s Going on?’, panellist, organised by the Global Business and Human Rights Lawyers Association, 5 February 2025, London.
- E. Aristova, ‘Impact of Business and Human Rights Litigation: Transnational Perspectives’, organiser and moderator, Bonavero Institute of Human Rights, 22 January 2025, Oxford.
- Lesniewska. F, co-organiser and lecturer on Summer School on Satellite Broadband, International Law, and Internet Governance: Connectivity in Disaster Zones, University of Lodz.
- Lesniewska, F, 'Mission Sustainable: Crafting an Interdisciplinary Approach to Making Earth-Space Human Activities Sustainable by Default' workshop, Surrey Space Centre, 21 May 2025.
- Lesniewska. F, AI, Access to Environmental Justice and Governance panel as part of AI, Law and Access to Justice Festival, 1 July 2025, Surrey Law School.
- Lesniewska. F, Roundtable on 'Designing Sustainable AI for a Sustainable Future: The Role of Law, Regulation and Governance', 1 July 2025, Surrey Law School.
- Peacock, M., 'Views and perspectives on plastic pollution in Brazil', 17 June 2025, Brasília, Distrito Federal
- Peacock, M., 'Providing climate justice for marginalised groups in the implementation of the UN Global Plastics Treaty in Brazil', UK workshop, 16 September 2025, University of Surrey.
E. Aristova, ‘Enforcement of Mandatory Human Rights Due Diligence Legislation’, in-person presentation at the workshop organised by the British Institute of International and Comparative Law, 12 December 2024, London.
E. Aristova, 'Corporate Climate Litigation: Global Trends and Lessons for the Asia-Pacific Region’, in-person talk at the Seoul National University Asia-Pacific Institute, 22 October 2024, Seoul.
E. Aristova, ‘Human Rights Due Diligence and the Future of Tort Litigation Against Corporations’, panellist at the 2024 HRDD Forum Annual Conference: Human Rights Due Diligence and the Future of Corporate Human Rights and Climate Change Litigation, British Institute of International and Comparative Law, 9 October 2024, London.
E. Aristova, ‘Constitutions and Climate Change’, in-person presentation at a workshop ‘Constitutionalizing Rights in the 21st Century – A Comparative Workshop for Constitution Makers’ organised by the Bonavero Institute of Human Rights and International Idea, 20 June 2024, Oxford.
E. Aristova, book launch: Tort Litigation Against Transnational Corporations in the English Courts by Dr Ekaterina Aristova, Bonavero Institute of Human Rights, 5 June 2024, Oxford.
E. Aristova, ‘Civil Remedies, Human Rights and Corporate Liability: Comparative Lessons’, presenter at a workshop ‘The Research, Practice, and Lived Experience of Remedy within Business and Human Rights’ organised by the Queen’s University Belfast, 23 May 2024.
E. Aristova, book launch: Torts in UK Foreign Relations by Dr Uglješa Grušić, organiser and moderator of the book launch, Bonavero Institute of Human Rights, 14 February 2024, Oxford.
Lesniewska. F, 'Eco-Designing the Future: Navigating Legal Frontiers in the EU's Sustainable Products Regulation', online one-day workshop, 21 November 2024 – co-organised with Kleoniki Pouikli (Utrecht University) and Heloísa Oliveira (Lisbon Public Law)
Rosalind Malcolm, Royal Academy of Engineering, National Engineering Policy Centre: Report: ‘Critical Materials for Net Zero: demand-side resource efficiency measures for critical materials. Review Group Net Zero Workshop. 15 April 2024 (invited member).