Course overview
This course examines the role and effectiveness of international law in addressing global environmental problems in the Anthropocene. This course not only addresses relevant legal principles, concepts and obligations but also the scientific, political, economic and social dimensions of global environmental issues.
The course also enables evaluation of the effectiveness of international environmental law in terms of its implementation and enforceability.
Specific topics will include:
- An overview of global environmental problems in the context of planetary boundaries and the Anthropocene;
- Key principles of International Environmental Law
- The challenges of developing, enforcing and implementing international law;
- Climate change
- Transboundary watercourses
- Biodiversity and nature's contributions to people
- Polar governance
- The Law of the Sea
- International Environmental Law Futures (Scenarios)
- Human rights and the environment
- Regime interaction and implementation
Course learning outcomes
- Describe the planetary boundaries concept and the impacts of global environmental change in the current geological epoch of the Anthropocene;
- Explain the sources of international environmental law and the content of international environmental law in the areas of climate change, biodiversity, water, oceans, polar regions, sustainable development and human rights;
- Analyze the complexity of interactions across international environmental regimes and between other international regimes;
- Describe how international environmental law is developed and implemented and critique the effectiveness of implementation regimes and institutions;
- Assess whether international environmental law is fit for purpose in the Anthropocene;
- Develop and execute original interdisciplinary research on a focused area of international environmental law.