Undergraduate Module Descriptor

LAW2146: Climate Law

This module descriptor refers to the 2020/1 academic year.

Module Aims

The module will take you from the global response to climate change in international environmental agreements, discussing some core methodological and theoretical issues underlying it, such as the role of ‘science’, and core arguments about global justice. It shall examine core dimensions of climate change response, such as the law on climate mitigation, country-based climate adaptation, and finance and technologies. It will also examine regulation of climate change across levels of governance, such as in cities, and through alternative forms of governance, as in climate litigation.

The module is suitable for students with an interest in environmental law, but will also be beneficial and interesting in relation to human rights, justice or migration studies, or indeed any students who wish to think about how climate change may affect law over the coming decades.

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)

This module's assessment will evaluate your achievement of the ILOs listed here – you will see reference to these ILO numbers in the details of the assessment for this module.

On successfully completing the programme you will be able to:
Module-Specific Skills1. Demonstrate foundational knowledge of the selected issues on climate change considered in the module and a substantial range of major concepts, values and principles relevant to its application;
2. Demonstrate good awareness of theoretical issues in climate law;
3. Demonstrate good awareness of a wide range of legal, political, social and contextual implications of the areas of climate change studied;
Discipline-Specific Skills4. Define complex legal problems, identify their relative significance and select appropriate methods for investigating and critically evaluating them;
5. Integrate and assess information from primary and secondary legal sources using appropriate interpretative techniques;
6. Assess regulatory instruments and policy in terms in accordance with climate law and theory;
Personal and Key Skills7. Manage relevant learning resources and develop own arguments and opinions with minimum guidance;
8. Work independently and manage time efficiently in preparing for scheduled learning activities, exercises and assessments.