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Course

Environmental Law - JURD7361

Faculty: Faculty of Law

School: Faculty of Law

Course Outline: See below

Campus: Sydney

Career: Postgraduate

Units of Credit: 6

EFTSL: 0.12500 (more info)

Indicative Contact Hours per Week: 4

Enrolment Requirements:

Pre-requisite: 36 UOC of JURD courses for students enrolled prior to 2013. For students enrolled after 2013, pre-requisite: 72 UOC of JURD courses.

Excluded: LAWS3361

CSS Contribution Charge: 2 (more info)

Tuition Fee: See Tuition Fee Schedule

Further Information: See Class Timetable

View course information for previous years.

Description

For the purposes of this course, 'environmental law' is defined to mean that area of law concerned with managing the impact of human activities on the environment. This course provides a framework for understanding the environmental issues which humans are faced with today and the implications of these issues for law making and policy. Within that framework this course will provide students with an introduction to key areas of environmental law in New South Wales and at a federal level. The course will explore a number of cross-cutting themes that influence current debate in relation to environmental law and policy.

Recommended Prior Knowledge

None

Course Objectives

At the end of this course you should be able to:
  • Have a good understanding of the international context of environmental law, particularly in relation to environmental conventions and other international instruments
  • Have a good understanding of the principles of Ecologically Sustainable Development (ESD) and the difficulties faced by decision-makers in implementing these principles at an international, federal, state and local level
  • Have a good understanding of the framework of laws for environmental planning, development control, environmental impact assessment, the protection of biodiversity, heritage and pollution regulation in NSW and nationally
  • Have a good understanding of the workings of the New South Wales Land and Environment Court
  • Have an appreciation and understanding of the difficulties and disadvantages the community faces when engaging in environmental decision making

Main Topics

  • Environmental policy & regulatory mechanisms
  • Sources of environmental law: international and domestic
  • Commonwealth, State and local responsibilities
  • Pollution control and enforcement
  • Protection of biodiversity
  • Native vegetation
  • Planning and development control
  • Climate change: mitigation and adaptation

Assessment

Class participation 10%
Research essay 40%
Take home exam 50%

Course Texts

Prescribed

  • Lyster, Lipman, Franklin, Wiffen and Pearson Environmental and Planning Law in NSW (2012, Federation Press)
  • Reading materials provided by the Convenor

Recommended
Refer to Course Outline provided by lecturer.

Law Books

Study Levels

Undergraduate Study Postgraudate Study Postgraduate Research Study Non-Award Study

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