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Transitional justice lessons for the climate reparations debate

Rachel Killean

Alternative Law Journal2026https://doi.org/10.1177/1037969x261433256article
ABDC B
Weight
0.50

Abstract

This article examines how transitional justice frameworks can inform climate reparations debates. Drawing on lessons from international criminal and human rights courts, as well as non-judicial reparation programs, it highlights the importance of victim participation, multifaceted redress, and credible guarantees of non-repetition in designing effective reparative mechanisms for climate harms. The analysis looks beyond State-to-State obligations to consider reparations owed to individuals, communities and ecosystems, including through ecocentric approaches and the potential criminalisation of ecocide. It argues that, while transitional justice cannot resolve the climate crisis, it offers guidance for designing reparative mechanisms that are participatory, multi-layered and credible.

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https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1177/1037969x261433256

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@article{rachel2026,
  title        = {{Transitional justice lessons for the climate reparations debate}},
  author       = {Rachel Killean},
  journal      = {Alternative Law Journal},
  year         = {2026},
  doi          = {https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1177/1037969x261433256},
}

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Transitional justice lessons for the climate reparations debate

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Evidence weight

0.50

Balanced mode · F 0.40 / M 0.15 / V 0.05 / R 0.40

F · citation impact0.50 × 0.4 = 0.20
M · momentum0.50 × 0.15 = 0.07
V · venue signal0.50 × 0.05 = 0.03
R · text relevance †0.50 × 0.4 = 0.20

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