Legal expert wins global prize for work on environmental protection

An Essex legal expert has received global recognition from a prestigious international science organisation for his groundbreaking work on environmental justice.

Essex Law School’s Dr Matthew Gillett has been named co-winner of the Hans Günter Brauch Foundation International Science Prize for 2025, recognising his innovative research on prosecuting environmental harm through international criminal law.

The prestigious award celebrates outstanding scholarly contributions addressing peace, ecology, and the Anthropocene.

This year’s theme — Impacts of Wars and Global Environmental and Climate Change on Food Insecurity, Hunger and Migration — focused on research exploring how human conflict and environmental degradation intersect.

Dr Gillett was honoured for his book Prosecuting Environmental Harm before the International Criminal Court (ICC) and his wider scholarship on ecocide and environmental protection.

In his laudatory speech, Dr Richard Dören from the Max Planck Institute for Comparative Public Law and International Law, praised Dr Gillett’s “vividly written study” for highlighting both the potential and the limitations of the ICC's in addressing environmental destruction.

He noted that Dr Gillett’s research is relied on at multiple points in the ICC's new Policy on Environmental Crimes. Lord-Mayor Stippe of Mosbach also delivered a congratulatory statement during the ceremony on 9 October 2025.

Dr Gillett’s proposals for reform, including the recognition of ecocide as a new international crime and the potential establishment of a dedicated environmental court, were described as “innovative and timely contributions to the field.”

Dr Gillett, who teaches international law and human rights at Essex and serves as Vice Chair-Rapporteur of the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, said: “Being named the co-winner of the Hans Gunter Brauch Foundation International Science Prize for 2025 is a great honour and a boost for my research on protecting the environment.

“The additional attention that this has brought to my book, as well as the articles I have published on ecocide in the last few months, is warmly welcomed.

“This international award gives me renewed energy to continue my efforts to contribute to the scholarship and practice in this field.”

Dr Gillett’s work builds on his extensive experience at the ICC and the UN where he has helped to shape global discussions on how law can be used to protect ecosystems and hold powerful actors accountable for environmental harm.

He added: “We are at a point in history where the impact of humans on the well-being of the environment is well-documented, and it's imperative to look for collective tools that can redress the worst incidents of harm to nature.

“International criminal law is not a simple panacea, but it has been used to charge perpetrators at the highest political and military levels for grave crimes against collective values.

“The health of the natural environment is a matter of urgent collective interest.”