MVV267K International and United States Climate Change Law

Faculty of Law
Spring 2020
Extent and Intensity
0/1/0. 3 credit(s). Type of Completion: k (colloquium).
Teacher(s)
Dr. Pamela Hill (lecturer), doc. JUDr. Ilona Jančářová, Ph.D. (deputy)
Guaranteed by
doc. JUDr. Ilona Jančářová, Ph.D.
Department of Environmental Law and Land Law – Faculty of Law
Contact Person: Mgr. Věra Redrupová, B.A.
Supplier department: Department of Environmental Law and Land Law – Faculty of Law
Timetable of Seminar Groups
MVV267K/01: No timetable has been entered into IS.
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is only offered to the students of the study fields the course is directly associated with.

The capacity limit for the course is 30 student(s).
Current registration and enrolment status: enrolled: 0/30, only registered: 0/30
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
there are 37 fields of study the course is directly associated with, display
Course objectives
Climate change is the most important environmental issue of this century. It has generated major law and policy over the last several years, both in the United States and internationally. It is a global challenge requiring international cooperation and presents significant legal and policy issues that remain unresolved. This seminar will examine the legal tools currently available to address climate change and possibilities for future action, as well as related policy challenges. It will first consider the international context and review the history of climate change efforts on a global scale, including the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, the Kyoto Protocol, and the 2015 Paris Agreement. It will then focus on currently available US authorities and policy directions, especially as they have shifted direction since US President Donald Trump was elected. Climate change also raises important issues of human rights, environmental justice, and international and intergenerational equity, which will be examined. Finally, the seminar will look to the future and pose questions concerning expectations for international cooperation and possible additional tools in current international and US law and policy.
Learning outcomes
At the end of the course students should be able to:
1) understand the science and impacts of climate change;
2) understand and explain the basic elements of international climate law, especially the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Paris Agreement, and the basic elements of climate law and policy in the United States;
3) demonstrate substantive knowledge of the legal and policy issues associated with climate change;
4) articulate the main obstacles to global climate solutions;
5) articulate ways to overcome such obstacles.
Syllabus
  • SESSION 1: Course introduction
  • Overview of climate change as a global environmental threat including scientific and economic aspects
  • SESSION 2: The international context
  • The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, the Kyoto Protocol, and the Paris Agreement
  • SESSION 3: Climate change law and policy in the United States
  • US legal authorities to address climate change
  • President Obama’s Climate Action Plan
  • President Trump’s climate policy
  • State and local initiatives
  • SESSION 4: Climate justice
  • Intergenerational equity, including recent litigation
  • The responsibilities of governments, including recent litigation
  • SESSION 5: The Montreal Protocol as a model
  • SESSION 6: The path forward
  • Identification of barriers
  • Identification and evaluation of possible solutions, including international, national, voluntary, litigation-based, and market-based strategies
Literature
  • Key portions of international climate agreements, laws and judicial opinions concerning climate, and relevant secondary readings, which will be distributed or made available online prior to the beginning of the course.
Teaching methods
Lecture and discussion.
Assessment methods
One short paper.
Language of instruction
English
Further Comments
Study Materials
The course is taught only once.
The course is also listed under the following terms Autumn 2018.
  • Enrolment Statistics (recent)
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