International Climate Law

Objectives:

This course will examine international climate law, examining both the current international legal frameworks and the negotiation of the future regime. The course will also explore fundamental questions about how international climate law interacts with national law and how private sector players participate in a global public international law regime. We will examine the effectiveness of the regime and what is required to achieve safe levels of anthropogenic emissions.

A participant who has successfully completed this course should have a sound understanding of legal issues, standards and principles relating to the international protection of climate and be familiar with the key international instruments and the international institutions (governmental and non-governmental) designed to address and implement measures aimed at climate change.

Topics include:

• An Overview of the climate problem and what drives the legal and policy response-especially looking at the work of the IPCC.
• An overview of international climate change law frameworks- UNFCCC, Kyoto Protocol, the Marrakesh Accords and the outcomes from the Copenhagen negotiations.
• Specific Focus on key market mechanisms under Kyoto: Emissions Trading, the Clean Development Mechanism, Joint Implementation and how these mechanisms will develop post 2012.
• Technology Transfer.
• Avoided Deforestation and the REDD process.
• Domestic responses to implementing the international framework: the EUETS, the US, Australia, NZ.
• The international Negotiation Process: Bali. Poznan, Copenhagen and Beyond 2012
• Complimentary measures
• Negotiation exercise

Students must rely on the Approved Assessment which will be posted to the course homepage on the ANU Law website, prior to the commencement of the course.

26 Contact Hours (Intensive Delivery)

Click here for the 2010 timetable