LAW 823LEC - Climate Change Law and Policy Short Course

Even the Supreme Court has recognized that climate change is the most pressing and complex environmental problem facing our planet. This course concerns the issues of law and policy that are involved in the regulation of climate change. The course examines both U.S. (federal, state, and local) and international law. It begins with an overview of the causes and effects of global climate change and the methods available to control and adopt to it. We then study past and proposed actions of the U.S. Congress, the executive branch and the courts, as well as regional, state and municipal efforts. The Clean Air Act and other federal environmental laws will be examined as well as efforts by state and local governments. The course will introduce you to various legal tools, including cap-and-trade schemes; carbon taxation; command-and-control regulation; litigation; information disclosure; and voluntary action. The course ends by examining the negotiation and implementation of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, the Kyoto Protocol, the Paris Accord and efforts to effectuate the agreements. Students enrolled in the 1-unit version of the course will meet only during block 3 (essentially the month of November). Grades will be based on in-class exercises and one short final writing assignment.

Credits: 1