Master

This course is devoted to the field of Climate Change Law, emerging from the pressing need to address what is arguably one of the biggest challenges facing humanity today. Students will be introduced to the geophysical basis of climate change as well as the economic analysis of climate change, exposing the need for regulation in this area. The course will provide for a profound understanding of the principles and laws governing climate change. Starting with the general principles of international law and international environmental law applying to the climate context, it will go on to trace the emergence of the international treaty-based regime to mitigate and adapt to climate change, spanning from the 1992 United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) to the Paris Agreement on Climate Change of 2015. To illustrate how the obligations derived from the international treaty framework may be implemented in domestic law, the course will offer an overview of Swiss climate law. Students will also engage in-depth with the quickly evolving landscape of climate change litigation. Based on recent examples of climate litigation in international fora, but also domestic claims against the state or against corporate actors, we will discuss the opportunities and challenges of such litigation. Throughout the course, we will be welcoming distinguished guest speakers (TBC), among others, Professor Dr Reto Knutti (Full Professor of Climate Physics and chair of the Center for Climate Systems Modeling at ETH Zurich) will be speaking on the geophysical basis of anthropogenic climate change.

No books need to be bought or papers copied. Textbooks excerpts and articles will be uploaded on OLAT. Online sources (e.g. blog post or websites) will solely be linked to in the syllabus. For each class, we have indicated the core readings to be read before class, and some further, voluntary readings diving deeper into specific aspect of the class. The syllabus may be subject to change. Please always consult the syllabus on OLAT before each lecture to make sure you have done all the necessary readings. For reasons of copyrights, course material must be used exclusively for the course (such as preparation of classes, attending classes, exam preparation). Please register for the course ‘Climate Change Law’ on OLAT in order to download reading materials and to gain access to the forum. Please also make sure to register (book) for the course with the Faculty. Registering via OLAT is not sufficient in order to gain the credits and/or to attend the exam.

The lecture conveys an understanding of the science of climate change as well as an overview of the international legal framework to address it. Students will be able to critically reflect on regulatory approaches as well as the recent phenomenon of climate change litigation before courts.