Dr. Maria Antonia Tigre
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Pronouns: she/her
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Associate Research Scholar, Global Climate Litigation Fellow, Sabin Center for Climate Change Law, Columbia Law School
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USA
BIOGRAPHY:
Dr. Maria Antonia Tigre is the Director of Global Climate Change Litigation at the Sabin Center. With extensive experience in the field, she previously served as a Senior Attorney at the Environment Program of the Cyrus R. Vance Center for International Justice. During her tenure, she provided pro bono legal services to NGOs worldwide, focusing on issues related to protected areas and the intersection of human rights and the environment.
Prior to her work at the Vance Center, Maria Antonia held a fellowship position at the World Resources Institute. Before, she practiced law in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in the private sector. Maria Antonia is also the Deputy Director of the Global Network for Human Rights and the Environment (GNHRE), where she collaborates with scholars and practitioners to study the relationship between human rights and the environment.
As a member of the IUCN World Commission on Environmental Law, Maria Antonia actively contributes to the development and advancement of environmental legal frameworks. She has authored numerous publications on regional and international environmental law, with a specific focus on environmental rights, the evolution of international environmental law, and climate litigation. Her research also encompasses the protection of the Amazon ecosystem, emphasizing the importance of regional cooperation.
Maria Antonia is a sought-after speaker at conferences and symposiums and has delivered a TEDx talk. She completed her Doctorate in Juridical Studies (S.JD.) at the Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University in 2022. In 2013, she earned a dual LL.M., magna cum laude, specializing in environmental law and comparative legal studies, from the same institution. Maria Antonia obtained her LL.B. from the Pontifícia Universidade Católica of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
RECENT POSTS FROM STATE OF THE PLANET 
New Book Explores the Need for Climate-Compatible Infrastructure Development and the Legal Issues it Raises
The 30th Conference of the Parties (COP) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) reached a disappointing conclusion on Saturday. Just a few days earlier, things had looked promising. The COP President—Ambassador André Corrêa do Lago of Brazil—had proposed a draft decision recognizing the need for countries to “overcome their dependence on […]
Junior Scholars Call for Papers
Columbia Law School’s 14th Annual Sabin Colloquium on Innovative Environmental Law Scholarship will allow junior environmental law scholars to present early-stage work and receive constructive feedback from a panel of senior scholars and from each other. It will be held on Zoom on May 21-22, 2026. Eligible applicants are pre-tenure professors, fellows, visiting assistant professors, and […]
PUBLICATIONS
- Beyond the North-South divide: Litigation’s role in resolving climate change loss and damage claims Rev. of Eur., Comp. and Int’l Env’t L. (2023) (link) (with M. Wewerinke-Singh)
- International Recognition of the Right to a Healthy Environment: What is the Added Value for Latin America and the Caribbean?, Am. J. of Int’l L. Unbound (2023) (link)
- Transnational Insights for Climate Litigation at the European Court of Human Rights: A South-North Perspective in Pursuit of Climate Justice, 56 VRÜ | WCL 299 (2023) (link) (with M. Murcott and N. Zimmerman)
- Global Climate Litigation Report: 2023 Status Review, Sabin Center for Climate Change Law, Columbia Law School & United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) (2023) (with M. Burger)
- Climate Litigation in Latin America: Is the region quietly leading a regional revolution?, 14(1) J. Hum. Rts. & Envt. 67–93 (2023) (link) (with N. Urzola and A. Goodman)
- Climate Change and Indigenous Groups: The Rise of Indigenous Voices in Climate Litigation, 9(3) E-Publica 214 (2022) (link)
- Status Report on Principles of International and Human Rights Law Relevant to Climate Change (Sabin Center for Climate Change Law, 2023) (link) (with K. Horne and M. Gerrard)
- Just Transition Litigation in Latin America: An Initial Categorization of Climate Litigation Cases Amid the Energy Transition (Sabin Center for Climate Change Law, January 2023) (link) (with L. Zenteno et al.).
- Reframing Global Biodiversity Protection after COVID-19: Is International Environmental Law up to the task?, 23 Vermont Envt. L. J. 123 (with N. Urzola and V. Lichet) (2022) (link)
- Indigenous Communities of the Lhaka Honhat (Our Land) Association v. Argentina, 115(4) Am. J. Int’l L. 706 (2021) (link)
- COVID-19 and Amazonia: Right-based approaches for the pandemic response, 30(2) Rev. of Eur., Comp. and Int’l Env’t L. 162 (2021) (link)
- The 2017 Inter-American Court’s Advisory Opinion: changing the paradigm for international environmental law in the Anthropocene, 12(1) J. Hum. Rts. & Envt. 24 (with N. Urzola) (2021) (link)
- Gaps in International Environmental Law: Toward a Global Pact for the Environment (ELI Press, 2020) (link)
- Regional Cooperation in Amazonia: A Comparative Environmental Law Analysis (Brill½Nijhoff, 2017) (link)
CONTACT
