Environmental Law

Human Environmental Rights. Climate Law. Hazardous Waste Law. Water Law. Circular Economy. Corporate Sustainability.

Christine Nikander has extensive knowledge of environmental law, human environmental rights, climate change law, circular economy, the just transition, hazardous waste law, water law, corporate sustainability, and EU regulatory law. Christine has an LL.M. in Global Environment and Climate Change Law from Edinburgh University Law School. She has also completed coursework on (corporate) environmental law at Columbia Law School. Amongst others, Christine has externed at the Environmental Protection Bureau of the New York State Attorney General's Office, and she has worked as a staff editor at the Columbia Journal of Environmental Law.

As an expert in waste and circularity laws, Christine is currently a member of the consortium that has been selected by the Directorate-General for Environment (DG ENV) of the European Commission for the “Framework Contract on the Circular Economy and Waste to Resources”.

Christine enjoys combining her training in public interest law and corporate law in her work, research, and teaching. She regularly lectures and speaks as a panellist on environmental law, circular economy, the just transition, corporate social responsibility, as well as environmental, social, and governance standards.

To find out more about the legal services that Christine provides, follow the link below.

Legal Services

Past Work

At University and for NGOs, think tanks and government, Christine has conducted research on human environmental rights, on the environmental liability of corporate entities, on the role of scientific evidence in climate litigation, on the international law applicable to the transboundary movement of electronic waste, on maritime and freshwater law, on circular economy policy and law, as well as on the corporate social responsibility for the climate crisis.

Christine also has extensive experience doing legal research on deep-sea mining, the plastic pollution of freshwater, the contamination of groundwater and freshwater through hazardous waste (such as e-waste and chemical leachate), the role of the U.S. EPA's Superfund program in protecting freshwater bodies, and the role of scientific evidence and environmental impact assessments in U.S. federal and state courts. She conducted close research into each of these topics during her time working with the Environmental Protection Bureau of the New York State Attorney General's Office, the Columbia Journal of Environmental Law, The E-Waste Column, and several other clients.

As a legal expert, Christine regularly participates in conducting legal research into the national transposition and implementation of EU directives related to energy and the environment for Europe-wide research studies.

As of the spring of 2024, she is participating in research for the European Commission (DG MOVE) on the national adoption and implementation of the Eurovignette Directive.
As of the spring of 2024, she is participating in research for the European Commission (DG EMPL) on the national transposition of the European Accessibility Act.
As of the autumn of 2022, she has participated in research for the European Commission (DG ENER) on the national implementation of Directive (EU) 2018/2002 on Energy Efficiency (EED) and the Directive (EU) 2018/844 on the Energy Performance of Buildings (EPBD).