Anne-Sophie Tabau

Anne-Sophie Tabau is a Professor of International, Comparative and European Law at Université de la Réunion, where she conducts research on environmental law, climate change, and international governance. She is affiliated with the CERIC Research team and the DICE (Droits International, Comparé et Européen) research unit, focusing on the intersection of law, environment, and climate policy across multiple institutional levels.

Professor Tabau's research interests center on environmental law with particular focus on climate change governance, international environmental cooperation, and legal frameworks addressing ecological emergencies. Her work examines how international law addresses environmental protection during armed conflicts, the role of courts in climate justice, and the implementation challenges of global agreements like the Paris Agreement at national and regional levels. She has made significant contributions to understanding the European Union's environmental action in strategic regions like the Indian Ocean and has explored the complex institutional architecture governing forest protection globally, revealing how diverse institutions with varying mandates interact in environmental governance.

Her publication record demonstrates consistent scholarly activity through 2025, with recent work analyzing simultaneous requests for climate advisory opinions and the legal treatment of environmental emergencies. Her research shows a clear trajectory from analyzing foundational frameworks like the Kyoto Protocol to addressing contemporary challenges in climate governance, with particular attention to vulnerable regions like the Indian Ocean islands.

Professor Tabau actively engages with policy communities through participation in expert consultations, including work with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), and has contributed to EU policy documents on human rights and climate change. She regularly presents her research at international conferences such as the Mercantour International Summer Universities and Science & You conferences, demonstrating her commitment to knowledge dissemination and interdisciplinary dialogue.

Her work bridges academic research with practical policy applications, particularly through her analysis of transnational judicial dialogue as a mechanism for climate justice and her examination of how social movements like the yellow vests in Réunion intersect with climate activism. Professor Tabau's research has significant implications for climate justice, especially for vulnerable island states in the Indian Ocean region where environmental and social challenges often converge.