Stavros Pantazopoulos

Jun 23, 2025

Stavros Pantazopoulos is a legal scholar and practitioner at the forefront of Protection of the Environment in relation to Armed Conflict (PERAC), currently serving as a Teaching Fellow at the Law School of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, a Senior Research Fellow with the Hellenic Foundation for Foreign and European Policy, and a Visiting Researcher at the University of Helsinki. His career, spanning over a decade, is driven by a profound curiosity about the use of force in international relations and a commitment to integrating environmental protection with the laws of war.Stavros's journey began with a strong academic foundation. Holding three LLM degrees in international law (University of Athens, London School of Economics, and European University Institute) and a PhD from the European University Institute, his doctoral research focused on the legal dimensions of environmental protection during and after armed conflict. This early specialization in PERAC shaped his path. He further honed his expertise as a Michigan Grotius Research Scholar at the University of Michigan Law School and through visiting positions at iCourts, the Geneva Academy of International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights and SciencesPo Reims, where he taught core international law subjects.

His expertise quickly translated into tangible contributions. He played a significant role in the development of landmark international principles, assisting UN Special Rapporteurs Marie Jacobsson (2015) and Marja Lehto (2022) in drafting the UN International Law Commission's (ILC) Principles on the Protection of the Environment in Relation to Armed Conflict. This work, conducted alongside his PhD, involved direct engagement in Geneva and persistent advocacy to raise the profile of PERAC within state delegations at the UN General Assembly – a field he notes is often "under-prioritized from whatever perspective you approach."

Seeking to bridge theory and practice, Stavros spent two impactful years (2019-2021) as the Legal and Policy Analyst for the UK-based NGO, the Conflict and Environment Observatory (CEOBS). Collaborating with CEOBS founder Doug Weir, he focused on monitoring wartime environmental harm and influencing policy. This experience provided a crucial perspective, allowing him to operationalize his academic knowledge and engage directly with states and the realities of conflict zones. His connection to the Environmental Peacebuilding Association proved instrumental, as an Association update alerted him to the CEOBS job opportunity.Returning to academia in 2021, he joined the interdisciplinary Toxic Crimes Project at the University of Helsinki. Working alongside Principal Investigator Frank van der Vet and Emma Hakala, he values how this collaboration challenges his legal perspective with insights from social sciences and environmental assessment, enriching his understanding of conflict pollution and toxics. This work includes co-editing a special issue for the Association's journal on Environment & Security.

Stavros's current research concentrates on two critical, evolving areas: the criminalization of “ecocide” (prosecuting severe environmental damage internationally and domestically) and the complex, bidirectional relationship between climate change and armed conflict.Deeply embedded in the environmental peacebuilding community, Stavros is a founding member of the Environmental Peacebuilding Association and served two terms as Co-Chair/Chair of its Law Interest Group. He takes pride in fostering collaborations, such as with IUCN, and creating spaces where lawyers and non-lawyers can engage on environmental security issues.

Reflecting on challenges, Stavros highlights the difficulty that early-career researchers face navigating a niche field – knowing where to start, whom to connect with, and securing vital funding. He credits persistence, networking, and the Association's mentorship program as key supports. Rewarding moments come from seeing tangible impacts, like contributing to the UN's adoption of the PERAC principles or influencing state understanding through advocacy, proving that dedicated effort can shape international discourse.For those embarking on careers in this dynamic field, Stavros offers grounded advice rooted in his own journey: “Don't be shy.” Actively reach out to established figures via email – the field actively needs new talent and perspectives, and most are willing to offer insights, contacts, and opportunities. He also encourages students and young professionals to embrace resilience in the face of rejection since young people only need one positive reply. He also highlights the importance of both interdisciplinary collaboration and practical experience.

Stavros defines environmental peacebuilding by its clear objective: using the environment as a means to build peace. He deeply values the Environmental Peacebuilding Association for its dynamism, its commitment to bridging theory and practice, and its openness to reinvention and new voices, seeing this as essential for the field’s future success.