Climate Change Law

This subject has the following teaching availabilities in 2011:

This subject will provide a general outline of climate change law and regulation at an international, national and local level. This will be supplemented by more detailed examination of specific topics, such as international law frameworks, and federal policy and law responses such as emissions trading schemes and adaptation responses.

Principal topics may include:*

• The scientific basis for global warming and physical impacts of climate change
• The drivers for climate change law
• The international legal framework, including the UNFCCC, Kyoto Protocol and associated international instruments
• The federal legislative framework for climate change mitigation and adaptation
• Bio-sequestration and carbon capture and storage
• The nature of climate change litigation
• The integration of energy/greenhouse gas emissions impact considerations into planning law
• State-based legislative and regulatory responses to climate change
• Climate change law and regulation and its impact on corporate entities and other organisations
• The role of the World Trade Organization (WTO) in climate change governance and the interaction of climate change regimes with other international law frameworks; e.g. World Heritage
• The schemes for reducing emissions from avoided deforestation and degradation (REDD; REDD plus).

* Climate law is a field in a considerable state of flux at the present. Consequently, case studies and other topics may vary with changes in relevant law and policy.

A student who has successfully completed this subject should:

• Understand the scientific basis of global warming and its impacts in an ecological, social and economic context
• Understand the international, regional and local factors that produce climate change
• Understand the international legal framework governing climate change issues and likely future trends, including the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and associated international instruments
• Understand federal and state legislative responses to climate change mitigation and adaptation, including the emissions trading scheme, associated market measures and energy-related measures such as mandatory renewable energy targets
• Understand the trade law implications of climate change governance
• Be able to critically evaluate the various legislative and regulatory mitigation and adaptation measures at federal and state level.

This subject is not available as a breadth subject.