Rafaela Santos Martins da Rosa

Rafaela Santos Martins da Rosa has been a federal judge in Brazil for twenty years, working at the Federal Regional Court of the 4th Region, and is involved with the Central Litigation Unit Associated with Climate Catastrophe in Rio Grande do Sul. She is a teacher trainer at the National School for the Training of Judges in Brazil, ENFAM, and Coordinator of the Jusclima2030 Project in the Brazilian Judiciary, which develops actions on addressing climate change in the Courts. She is a member of the Brazilian Association of Professors of Environmental Law (APRODAB). In March 2026, Rafaela received the José Maria da Silva Júnior Award for Environmental Jurisprudence from the Brazilian Association of Members of the Public Prosecutor’s Office for the Environment (ABRAMPA) in recognition of her judicial decisions on environmental matters in Brazil.

Background

Rafaela Rosa holds a master’s degree from the University of Vale do Itajaí (2012), and a PhD (2023) and postdoctoral internship (2025) from the University of Vale do Rio dos Sinos. She was a visiting researcher and visiting scholar at the University of California, Berkeley Law (2021 and 2025), under the guidance of Professor Daniel Farber. She is a member of the National Sustainability Management Committee of the National Council of Justice (CNJ).

Research interests

• Climate litigation
• Climate Change Law