This article maps the shared legal anatomy of climate and environmental lawsuits, in which plaintiffs claim protection for future generations before domestic or international courts. By closely analyzing the litigation strategies of plaintiffs and the inquiry of courts, the article argues that these proceedings revolve around structurally similar legal standards across domestic and international jurisdictions, which correspond to five normative requirements flowing from the rule of law: namely, respect for human rights, certain quality of law requirements, prohibition of arbitrary exercise of governmental powers, non-discrimination, and access to justice. The cross-jurisdictional analysis shows that courts appear to be increasingly willing to protect future generations against arbitrary treatment by present-day decision makers. The article appraises whether such an intergenerationally sensitive reinterpretation of the rule of law could help to change the short-termist paradigm of environmental and climate law.

中文翻译：

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转变环境和气候诉讼中的法治：禁止任意对待子孙后代


本文描绘了气候和环境诉讼的共同法律剖析，其中原告在国内或国际法院要求为子孙后代提供保护。文章通过仔细分析原告的诉讼策略和法院的质询，认为这些诉讼围绕国内和国际司法管辖区结构相似的法律标准展开，这些标准对应了法治的五项规范性要求：即尊重人权。权利、某些质量的法律要求、禁止任意行使政府权力、不歧视和诉诸司法。跨辖区分析表明，法院似乎越来越愿意保护子孙后代免受当今决策者的任意对待。本文评估了这种对代际敏感的法治重新解释是否有助于改变环境和气候法的短期主义范式。