The number of courts that resolve environmental disputes has nearly doubled in the last five years as the complexity of environmental law and public awareness have increased, according to a new study.
There are 354 environmental courts in 41 countries, with more than 170 created since 2005, according to the World Resources Institute (WRI). Only a handful existed in the 1970s.
“While such specialist courts and tribunals have been created from time to time, their accelerated growth is a 21st century phenomenon,” the report says.