Legal Values: International Environmental Law

Since the 1972 Stockholm Conference, there has been a steady rise in the sources of international  environmental law with a significant number of treaties complemented by customary international law,  and decisions of international adjudicative bodies. These sources present an intricate network of rules,  principles and institutional arrangements in response to the ever-changing field of environmental  problems with regional and global dimensions such as environment and human rights, climate change,  transboundary pollution, regulation of hazardous chemicals and waste, and sustainable development.  This course will introduce students to the organizing principles of international environmental law  including its foundational rules and complex institutional framework, with an emphasis on key actors,  opposing interests, and competing ideas. All class discussions will involve doctrinal and critical  engagements. We will also incorporate guest lectures and student presentations, and students are  expected to participate actively in all class discussions. Students are expected to demonstrate an in- depth understanding of the history of the discipline; its general principles; compliance and enforcement  mechanisms; interaction between international environmental law and domestic law; current debates  and critical perspectives within the discipline; and international environmental adjudication by the end  of the course.