Environmental law studies the content and role of law in addressing complex environmental challenges, such as climate change mitigation and adaptation, environmental pollution, biodiversity loss and overuse of natural resources. Legal institutions and regulation are in a key role in achieving global sustainability goals for keeping within planetary boundaries and securing an equitable distribution of ecosystem (dis)services. My research links to these themes mostly through water. I have studied topics, such as regulation of hydropower and fish migration, regulation of fish farming and other marine resources, river basin management and marine planning as well as marine spatial planning. On a theoretical level, I am interested in the interaction between science and law; adaptive law and governance forming links between law, natural sciences and social sciences in order to coin effective tools for steering human activity. I also study methods of legal interpretation and argumentation.
I am a legal academic and currently work at the University of Eastern Finland School of law, Center for Climate, Energy and Environmental Law (CCEEL). I am also vice director for the UEF Water Research Programme.