Through advocacy, organizing, research, and engaging in public discourse and process, CUER advances progressive environmental justice reform on a variety of issues in myriad places.

News & Updates from CUER

What makes CUNY Law a Top Law School for Social Justice

What It Means to Be a Top Law School for Social Justice, Access, and Opportunity

This spring, preLaw magazine ranked CUNY Law #2 for Social Justice and named the school to its Justice & Opportunity Honor Roll.

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Enviromental Rights

Professor Bratspies Named 2022 International Human Rights Awardee

August 4, 2022

Professor & CUER Founder Rebecca Bratspies is recognized for her contributions to international law at the intersection of human rights, climate change, natural resources, and health by the Centre for International Sustainable…

Professor Bratspies Testifies Before NYC Racial Justice Commission

August 13, 2021

Professor Bratspies testified before the NYC Racial Justice Commission about charter amendments that could dismantle structural environmental injustice.

Dr. Sacoby Wilson speaks at CUNY

April 4, 2021

In September 2020, CUER was honored to partner with CUNY BLSA and the Environmental Justice Collective to bring Dr. Sacoby Wilson to campus (via zoom).

Reimagining NYC

What It Means to Be a Top Law School for Social Justice, Access, and Opportunity

May 19, 2026

This spring, preLaw magazine ranked CUNY Law #2 for Social Justice and named the school to its Justice & Opportunity Honor Roll.

Four Minutes: Paige McDonald on Arguing a Real Case in a Real Court — as a Law Student

May 19, 2026

In CUNY Law’s Disability Rights and Social Justice Clinic, McDonald wrote the brief, argued it, and discovered she is more than ready for what’s next.

In Federal Court, CUNY Law Clinic Students Take on a Defining First Amendment Fight  

May 13, 2026

A First Amendment case has put the Equality & Justice In-House Clinic at the center of one of the most consequential constitutional questions of the moment.

Energy

What It Means to Be a Top Law School for Social Justice, Access, and Opportunity

May 19, 2026

This spring, preLaw magazine ranked CUNY Law #2 for Social Justice and named the school to its Justice & Opportunity Honor Roll.

Four Minutes: Paige McDonald on Arguing a Real Case in a Real Court — as a Law Student

May 19, 2026

In CUNY Law’s Disability Rights and Social Justice Clinic, McDonald wrote the brief, argued it, and discovered she is more than ready for what’s next.

In Federal Court, CUNY Law Clinic Students Take on a Defining First Amendment Fight  

May 13, 2026

A First Amendment case has put the Equality & Justice In-House Clinic at the center of one of the most consequential constitutional questions of the moment.

Waste Handling

What It Means to Be a Top Law School for Social Justice, Access, and Opportunity

May 19, 2026

This spring, preLaw magazine ranked CUNY Law #2 for Social Justice and named the school to its Justice & Opportunity Honor Roll.

Four Minutes: Paige McDonald on Arguing a Real Case in a Real Court — as a Law Student

May 19, 2026

In CUNY Law’s Disability Rights and Social Justice Clinic, McDonald wrote the brief, argued it, and discovered she is more than ready for what’s next.

In Federal Court, CUNY Law Clinic Students Take on a Defining First Amendment Fight  

May 13, 2026

A First Amendment case has put the Equality & Justice In-House Clinic at the center of one of the most consequential constitutional questions of the moment.

Land Use

What It Means to Be a Top Law School for Social Justice, Access, and Opportunity

May 19, 2026

This spring, preLaw magazine ranked CUNY Law #2 for Social Justice and named the school to its Justice & Opportunity Honor Roll.

Four Minutes: Paige McDonald on Arguing a Real Case in a Real Court — as a Law Student

May 19, 2026

In CUNY Law’s Disability Rights and Social Justice Clinic, McDonald wrote the brief, argued it, and discovered she is more than ready for what’s next.

In Federal Court, CUNY Law Clinic Students Take on a Defining First Amendment Fight  

May 13, 2026

A First Amendment case has put the Equality & Justice In-House Clinic at the center of one of the most consequential constitutional questions of the moment.

Research & Publications

A stack of bright green notebooks with the CUNY School of Law logo lay on a table.

 Environmental Justice: Law Policy and Regulation, the most recent environmental advocacy book by Rebecca Bratspies, Law Professor at CUNY Law and founding Director of CUER, is used in schools across the country.

Renewable Rikers: A Plan for Restorative Environmental Justice, by Rebecca Bratspies, Loyola Law Review, New Orleans, Vol. 66, 2021.

The Human Right to Environmental Information, by Professors Rebecca M. Braspies & Sarah Lamdan published in 2019.

Reasoning Up to Human Rights: Environmental Rights as Customary International Law, by Rebecca Bratspies in The Human Right to a Healthy Environment, 2018.

the Environmental Justice Chronicles

You don’t have to be a superhero to save the planet

In their unique comic series, Professor Rebecca Bratspies and illustrator Charlie LaGrecca bring to life the grassroots crusades of New York City siblings determined to stand up for their neighborhood. From local land use to toxic waste, as well as the importance of the census, these comics inspire as much as they impart.

Available for free to educators, advocates, and organizers alike, some in multiple languages or coloring page formats, these comics were written for youth but appeal to all ages.

Mayah's lot Comic Book Cover
Troops Run graphic novel colorful background with young man with nasal cannula for oxygen
Bina's Plant comic book cover with drawing of Bina

Public Comment

A mechanism built into the federal rule-making process, the request for public comment is a requirement of any and all proposed federal agency regulations on their path to being passed by Congress.

CUER students and faculty regularly submit comments reporting on crucial environmental issues that often lie at intersections of racial justice, climate action, and more.

Noise Pollution

In collaboration with its Fellows, Queens public school students, and other New Yorkers, CUER has created resources and championed advocacy initiatives aimed at combatting noise pollution.

https://experience.arcgis.com/experience/d826b115c87841d491c2b41fcb175305?z=5&p=991201,195857&c=GISBasic&f=SCHOOL,SUBWAY