Course

Climate Law - LAWS8066

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: 2

Enrolment Requirements:

Prerequisite: Academic Program must be either 9200 or 9210 or 5740 or 9231 or 5231 or 9220 or 5750 or 8623 or 5499 or 7339 or 9212 or 5212.

Excluded: JURD7466

CSS Contribution Charge: 2 (more info)

Tuition Fee: See Tuition Fee Schedule

Further Information: See Class Timetable

View course information for previous years.

Description

This course examines the origins, evolution and practice of climate change law. It begins with an overview of the scientific, economic and equity contexts of the climate change debate and then proceeds to a detailed examination of the provisions of the Australian and international legal regimes related to climate change. This includes the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, its Kyoto Protocol and more recent negotiations. It will also consider the relationship between climate change and other areas of international law and policy, including trade and international development (e.g. the new international regime for the protection of forests, REDD+).

The course then examines climate law and policy in Australia, from the Clean Energy Future Package of 2011 and ongoing debates at the national level, to regulations attempting to adapt to the effects of climate change at the local level. As well as carbon pricing and emissions trading, the course covers issues such as corporate reporting and directors' duties, urban planning and development, and climate litigation. The course will include some comparative analysis of climate law in other jurisdictions, particularly the European Union and the United States.

This course is also available to students undertaking relevant postgraduate non-law degree programs at UNSW provided such enrolment is approved by the appropriate non-law Faculty.

Main Topics
• The science and economics of climate change
• History of the international climate regime
• Structure and framework of the UNFCCC and Kyoto Protocol
• Climate finance and international development (particularly REDD)
• The development of climate law and policy in Australia
• Emissions trading and carbon pricing laws
• Laws on renewable energy and energy efficiency
• Carbon sequestration (including bio- and geosequestration)
• The facilitation of adaptation to climate change through legal frameworks
• Business, risk and climate change
• Climate change litigation

This course will be useful for students intending to work in a wide range of practice areas, from environmental, planning and energy law, to commercial law, policy and international development. It will be valuable for students interested in the relationships between law and science, technology, ethics, economics and public policy.

LLM Specialisations
Corporate and Commercial Law
Corporate, Commercial and Taxation Law
Environmental Law

More information can be found on the Course Outline Website.
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