Postgraduate Course: International Climate Change Law (LAWS11275)
Course Outline
| School | School of Law |
College | College of Humanities and Social Science |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 11 (Postgraduate) |
Availability | Available to all students |
| SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
| Summary | This course explores the problematic of global, anthropogenic climate change and the legal solutions that have sought to address it. This is an area of legal regulation that has developed most influentially in the realm of Public International Law in the form of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and its Kyoto Protocol, and the ongoing negotiations in that forum. Commencing with a detailed exploration of the UNFCCC and its position in PIL (seminars 1-4), this course moves to detailed analysis of the Kyoto Protocol and in particular its key mechanism, the Clean Development Mechanism (seminars 5-6). The particularities of compliance in the climate change regime are addressed in seminar 7. The final three seminars will consider the relationship that legal sub-disciplines and concepts such as human rights (seminar 8), justice and ethics (seminar 9, in the context of geoengineering) and intellectual property (seminar 10, in the context of technology
transfer) have, and may have, with climate law.
International Climate Change Law is avowedly inter-disciplinary, drawing on insights from economics, ethics, international relations theory and the physical sciences. These perspectives are essential if lawyers are to understand issues such as climate change negotiations and common but differentiated responsibilities. The goal is to give lawyers a detailed understanding of the legal mechanisms that seek to tackle climate change and a similarly familiarity with their broader context. To this end readings will regularly explore these approaches and some teaching may be shared with students from other schools.
A feature of this course is its close relationship to fundamental research that is undertaken across the University. In addition to the course organiser, certain seminars will be taken by colleagues with research interests in aspects of the course. There is also a wide range of seminars, public lectures and conferences in the climate change area in the Schools of Law, Politics, Business and Geosciences - student participation is encouraged in such events.
Session titles:
1. Introduction to PIL and climate change
2. UNFCCC: Principles, Institutions, Process and Actors
3. UNFCCC: Legal Status of COP Decisions and Legal Form
4. UNFCCC: COP Negotiation Exercise
5. Kyoto Protocol: Commitments, Mechanisms and 'Challenges'
6. Kyoto Protocol: CDM Project Cycle
7. Kyoto Protocol: Compliance
8. Climate Change and Human Rights
9. Geoengineering: Ethical, Scientific and Legal Considerations
10. Technology Transfer and Intellectual Property Right
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| Course description |
Not entered
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
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Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | None |
| Additional Costs | Students should have regular and reliable access to the Internet. Print consumables are recommended to provide hard copy of on screen materials. |
Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | None |
Course Delivery Information
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| Academic year 2017/18, Available to all students (SV1)
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Quota: None |
| Course Start |
Semester 1 |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Please contact the School directly for a breakdown of Learning and Teaching Activities |
| Assessment (Further Info) |
Please contact the School directly for a breakdown of Assessment Methods
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| Additional Information (Assessment) |
One essay of up to 4,000 words (60%); one piece of assessed work (20%); contribution to online discussions (20%). |
| Feedback |
Not entered |
| No Exam Information |
Learning Outcomes
At the end of the course students will have:
* a detailed understanding of the sources and processes of public international law;
* a detailed understanding of the sources and processes of the international climate regime;
* an understanding of the relationship between the law of climate change and related disciplinary approaches, both within and outwith the social sciences;
* knowledge of specific emerging climate mitigation technologies and approaches, and the legal regulation.
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Contacts
| Course organiser | Mr Navraj Ghaleigh
Tel: (0131 6)50 2069
Email: |
Course secretary | Ms Clare Polson
Tel: (0131 6)51 4411
Email: |
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