Course overview
This course will examine national jurisdiction over energy resources and the formulation of international energy law and policy in organisations such as the United Nations and the European Union. The role of international institutions such as the International Energy Agency (IEA), the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and OPEC will also be examined. The regulation of specific energy resources, such as nuclear energy and petroleum, will be addressed. International laws to combat climate change, and the implications for energy sector, will be discussed. The role of international law and institutions in promoting renewable energy, and the concept of access to energy as a human right, will also be explored.
Course learning outcomes
- The existence and structure of relevant international organisations and their role in the formulation of international energy law and policy
- The key principles of European Union energy law and policy
- The basic principles of petroleum arrangements between corporations and national governments, such as joint ventures and risk service agreements
- The need for resolution of disputes between corporations and national governments, and in the context, the basic principles of international commercial arbitration
- International laws governing the prevention of marine pollution by oil
- The role of international institutions in developing renewable energy law and policy
- Key national measures to encourage renewable energy in electricity use
- The importance of energy as a basic human need and the development of access to energy a human right
- International arrangements for addressing climate change created under the UN Convention on Climate Change and the Kyoto Protocol to the Convention, and their impact on the energy industry
- International and regional measures to address climate change, in particular emissions trading schemes
- International regulation of the use and development of nuclear energy and resources
- Cognitive skills to analyse, evaluate and synthesise information from a wide variety of sources and experiences arising between participants and stakeholders in the international energy industry so as to identify and address appropriate legal and related issues
- Awareness and appreciation of the continuous state of development of legal principle applicable to international energy law, and a capacity to respond to such change and assist such development as appropriate
- Awareness and appreciation of the political and socio-economic context of international energy law
- Critical thinking
- Oral and written communication skills of a high order, including the use of appropriate modern communication technologies
- Capacity and commitment to learn and maintain intellectual curiosity, and to engage in life-long personal and professional learning
- Familiarity with, and proficiency in, legal research techniques, including in the appropriate use of modern research technologies
- Understanding of how legal skills may be employed to best serve the community in the field of international energy law
- Capacity to be informed, responsible and critically discriminating in relation to the development and application of international energy law
- Commitment to the rule of law and social justice through the operation of law
- Understanding of social and cultural diversity, and sensitivity to the operation of the law and legal structures in the development and application of international energy law