The natural world sustains us all—yet it is under mounting pressure from environmental degradation and the interlinked crises of climate change, pollution and biodiversity loss. Protecting the planet while advancing sustainable development demands strong, innovative, and forward‑looking laws and policies.

The Environmental Protection in Constitutions Assessment Tool is a practical resource to help users assess how their constitution—or draft constitution—addresses environmental protection. Drawing on constitutional provisions from around the world, the Assessment Tool supports the development of locally tailored proposals for legal and constitutional reform in key areas such as human rights, state duties, the economy, environmental governance, accountability and transboundary cooperation. 

This Assessment Tool is designed for anyone interested in how laws promote environmental protection. It is ideal for people engaged in a process of constitutional reform—whether as members of a constitution-making body, advisors to those bodies or civil society—or for those who wish to advocate for amendments to the existing legal and constitutional framework to strengthen environmental protection. It can be used independently by individuals or groups, but it is most effective when used in a facilitated setting to spark dialogue, reflection, and collaboration. In the accompanying Workbook users can write down their analysis for each question and formulate an advocacy plan. 

For more information on how to conduct a training using the Environmental Protection in Constitution Assessment Tool, contact International IDEA.

There are other tools in International IDEA’s series to support constitution-makers, advisors, and civil society in analyzing constitutional texts, including: 

• Constitution Assessment for Women’s Equality
• Indigenous Peoples’ Rights in Constitutions Assessment Tool