International Journal of Drug Delivery Technology
Volume 16, Issue 5s

Climate Change and the Transformation of International Environmental Law: Tensions, Justice, and Regulatory Challenges (2014–2024)

Francisco Alvarado-Porras1,*, Marlon Geovanny Salazar Torres2 and Vanessa Scarlet Navarro Moreira3

1Universidad Estatal de Milagro
2Municipio de Durán
3Universidad Estatal de Milagro
1falvaradop@unemi.edu.ec 2marlonsalazartorres@gmail.com and 3vnavarrom2@unemi.edu.ec
*Correspondence: falvaradop@unemi.edu.ec

Received: 16th Dec, 2025; Revised: 8th Feb 2026; Accepted: 12th Feb, 2026; Available Online: 28th Feb, 2026

ABSTRACT

Climate change has intensified tensions surrounding international environmental law, requiring a reinterpretation of its principles and governance mechanisms. This study examines how literature published between 2014 and 2024 has conceptualized the transformation of international environmental law, particularly in relation to the evolution of legal principles, methodological trends, regulatory gaps, and thematic research patterns. A B-SLR approach is used, integrating bibliometric analysis and systematic review of a corpus of articles indexed in Web of Science and Scopus, selected using the PRISMA protocol and a semantic classification system based on Natural Language Processing. The findings reveal sustained growth in scientific output and an intellectual structure configured around climate justice, polycentric governance, green economy, and human rights. Qualitative analysis shows a transition towards more flexible and adaptive legal models, accompanied by the expansion of climate litigation and the use of human rights frameworks to reinforce state obligations. However, critical issues related to regulatory fragmentation, dependence on soft law, and institutional weakness persist. Overall, international environmental law is undergoing a profound and still incomplete process of reconfiguration in the face of the accelerating climate crisis.

Keywords: Natural Language Processing (NLP); Semantic classification; Systematic review; International environmental law; Climate change.

How to cite this article: Alvarado-Porras F, Salazar Torres MG and Navarro Moreira VS, Climate Change and the Transformation of International Environmental Law: Tensions, Justice, and Regulatory Challenges (2014–2024). Int J Drug Deliv Technol. 2026;16(5s): 83-99. DOI: 10.25258/ijddt.16.5s.12