Ugandan constitutional case on deforestation and climate change

In an application filed in the Uganda Constitutional Court today, Alex Goodman and Yaaser Vanderman were instructed by the National Association of Professional Environmentalists, in Uganda appearing as an amicus curiae. The case is a challenge brought by the Ugandan Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) Greenwatch to Ugandan state policies that have allowed the loss of huge swathes of its forest and woodland cover since the 1980s, with over 2.5% of remaining cover being lost every year.

Alex Goodman and Yaaser Vanderman are instructed pro bono by the Human Rights and Environment (HRE) Clinic, part of King’s Legal Clinic working with Sue Willman, the Assistant Director and Supervising Solicitor.

NAPE relies on the public trust doctrine to argue that the Ugandan government “(holds) the forests on trust for the benefit of citizens of Uganda”. The legal submissions assist the Court with analysis of the constitutional right to a healthy environment found in article 39 of the Uganda constitution (in common with numerous African countries) and with emerging international jurisprudence on the right to life in relation to climate change and environmental protection.