Dr Thomas Bundschuh LLM, PhD, PGC LTHE, FHEA

About

I am passionate about climate justice and sustainability education. The climate crisis is one of the most pressing issues of our time. Climate change litigation has gained considerable momentum through landmark decisions of international courts (ICJ, ITLOS) and regional human rights courts (ECtHR, IACtHR), challenging the boundaries of human rights at the intersection of law and science. I have introduced climate change litigation in my teaching as courts have become critical spaces where the evolution of law and human rights becomes manifest. As emerging human rights advocates, students need to be enabled to respond to the challenges of the climate crisis.

Prior to my interest in climate change justice and sustainability education, I followed my research interest in transitional justice and human rights. I pursued my doctoral research at the Transitional Justice Institute, University of Ulster, where I was awarded my PhD in International Law (Transitional Justice and Human Rights).

I also hold an LLM in International Human Rights Law from the University of Essex. Prior to that, I received my legal education at the Universities of Geneva and Freiburg (First State Examination in Law) and through professional legal practice in the justice administration of Berlin (Second State Examination in Law). After qualifying as a lawyer, I practised law as an attorney in private law for several years.

In addition, I have been engaged in human rights and humanitarian work with a range of non-governmental organizations (NGOs), including work for the Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS) in Uganda, for Human Rights Watch (HRW) and the Fédération Internationale des Ligues des Droits de L’Homme (FIDH) in Rwanda and for the FoodFirst Information and Action Network (FIAN) in Germany.

Prior to working as a Senior Lecturer at Sheffield Hallam University, I have been teaching human rights and global justice related courses at The Hague University of Applied Sciences, Leiden University College, and the University of Ulster, Belfast.

As a climate conscious human rights teacher and researcher, I am concerned with and work on the disproportionate impact of climate change on vulnerable groups and the protection of socioeconomic rights in contexts of transitions, both from conflict to peace and from unsustainable to sustainable societies.

I enjoy the collaboration with colleagues from across the University as we develop an interdisciplinary module on the Global Climate Emergency and collaborate in the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) Cluster ‘Sustainability and Climate Education’.

As I work at the intersection of human rights law and science in the context of climate change and climate education, my work revolves around two principal questions: How can law and human rights be used and developed to address climate change and the related global environmental crises? How can students become climate competent lawyers and human rights advocates?

Climate change is a global crisis. It is vital to be in dialogue with colleagues from different disciplines across the globe. I am a mentor in the Academics Stand Against Poverty (ASAP) Fellowship scheme of Yale University’s Global Justice Program, a trustee of ASAP UK and a member of the Executive Board of the Association of Human Rights Institutes (AHRI). I am also contributing to the Rights of Nature Committee of the International Law Association (ILA).

My teaching interests are concerned with human rights and transitional justice, climate inequality and social justice.

My primary research interests are centred around the question on how socioeconomic rights and social justice frameworks, such as the capability approach (Sen, Nussbaum) and vulnerability theory (Fineman), can help us address social and climate inequalities experienced by vulnerable populations.

My teaching interests are concerned with human rights and transitional justice, inequality and social justice. My teaching also includes the right to health and the political economy of crime.

My primary research interests are centred around the question on how socio-economic rights and social justice frameworks, such as the capability approach (Sen, Nussbaum), can address social inequalities, with a particular focus on societies confronted with the demands of transitional justice.

Teaching

Sheffield Institute of Law and Justice

College of Social Sciences and Arts

I work at the intersection of human rights law and science in the context of climate change and sustainability education. Considering scientific evidence, my research examines how human rights can be used to effectuate change and to address the climate change crisis. I use comparative legal analysis and interdisciplinary methods.

I am particularly interested in exploring the emerging paradigm of earth system law. Earth system law is defined "as an innovative legal imaginary that is rooted in the Anthropocene’s planetary context and its perceived socio-ecological crisis. Earth system law is aligned with, and responsive to, the Earth system’s functional, spatial and temporal complexities; and the multiple earth system science and social science-based governance challenges arising from a no-analogue state in which the Earth system currently operates." (Kotze and Kim, 2020, 464).

Furthermore, "Earth system law therefore offers: (i) an interdisciplinary analytical framework to better understand and respond to the legal dimensions of earth system governance; (ii) the normative foundations to govern the full spectrum of Earth system relationships in a way that promotes planetary integrity and justice in their fullest sense; and (iii) the legal means to facilitate transformative earth system governance for long-term sustainability." (ibid.)

Human Rights and Social Justice

LLM/MA Global Human Rights and Social Justice in Practice

• Global Human Rights and Social Justice in Practice Dissertation (LLM/MA)
• Environmental Rights, Sustainability and Climate Change (LLM/MA)
• Contemporary Issues in Global Human Rights and Social Justice (LLM/MA)
• Human Rights and Legal Scholarship: Climatizing Human Rights (LLM)
• 21st Century Security Threats: Crime, Crisis or Tragedy (BA)
• Global Climate Emergency (BA)

Research

• Social and Economic Research Institute

Bundschuh, T. (2025). Planetary Awakening in the Court Room: On the role of science in climate change litigation. Association of Human Rights Institutes (AHRI) 2025 Annual Conference. 11-13 September 2025. Institute for Democracy and Human Rights, Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú, Lima, Peru.

Bundschuh, T. (2025). Rising Oceans, Dangerous Hunger: Climate Action as Conflict Prevention. The Capability Approach and Human Rights Applied to Small Island Developing States at the Frontline of Climate Change. 2025 Human Development & Capability Association (HDCA) Conference. “Culture, Peace and Capabilities”, 1-5 September 2025. University of Bradford, Bradford, UK.

Bundschuh, T. (2025). Becoming a Climate Competent Human Rights Advocate: Integrating Climate Change in Human Rights Education. Workshop. EAUC Conference 2025, 24-25 June 2025. Sheffield Hallam University, Sheffield, UK.

Bundschuh, T. (2025). Climate Justice and Transition: Look Twice to Leave No One Behind. Teaching and Researching for a Just Transition: Preparing for a more sustainable future. 21-22 May 2025. Online. University of Warwick, Coventry, UK.

Bundschuh, T. (2025). The Planetary Nexus of Climate Change Teaching in Legal and Human Rights Education: Realizing the transformative potential of law and human rights and becoming climate competent for the legal and human rights professions. Socio-Legal Studies Association (SLSA) 2025 Annual Conference. 15-17 April 2025. Liverpool, UK: University of Liverpool.

Bundschuh, T. (2025) (in preparation). The Climate Crisis, Pregnancy, and the Right to a Healthy Environment: An analysis of climate ambitions and birth outcomes with implications for reproductive rights of women and children’s right to development. In: International Perspectives on Gender, Design and Sustainability (Editor: Madhumita Pandey. Publisher: Springer).

Bundschuh, T. (2025). As a member of the Rights of Nature Committee of the International Law Association (ILA) I am contributing to the further development of international law and the evolving integration of Rights of Nature through developing common principles, general guidelines and concrete proposals.

Publications

Other activities

• Academics Stand Against Poverty (ASAP), UK chapter: Trustee.
• Advance HE (formerly Higher Education Academy): Fellow (FHEA).
• Association of Human Rights Institutes (AHRI): Member of Executive Board.
• Human Development and Capability Association (HDCA): Member of Human Rights Working Group.
• International Law Association (ILA): Member of Rights of Nature Committee.
• Socio-Legal Studies Association (SLSA): Member.
• Yale University. Yale Global Justice Program, ASAP Fellowship: Mentor.

Postgraduate supervision

PhD supervision in progress:

Jahanara Rowell: “Exploring Trauma-Informed Care (TIC) Approaches for Refugee and Unaccompanied Asylum-Seeking Children in England.”

Over 40 supervisions of LLM/MA Human Rights dissertations completed, including:

Jehannara Mohideen: “The Judicial Response to a Refugee Child’s Rights to Reunite with Families Still Abroad: Can this be an eye opener for UK policy makers?”

Dr Martin Luther King Human Rights Prize (2024)

Oghenero Ajantana: “Addressing Climate Change and Environmental Pollution Through Constitutionally Guaranteed Rights to a Clean and Healthy Environment: Nigeria as a case study.”

Dr Martin Luther King Human Rights Prize (2023)

Ayah Mahmoud: “Artificial Intelligence and Legal Decision Making: Is there a risk of human rights violations such as errors of due process and the perpetuation of systemic discrimination?”

Dr Martin Luther King Human Rights Prize (2022)