Content, progress and pedagogy of the module

• Climate change represents an urgent and potentially irreversible threat to human societies and to the planet – and thus requires to be addressed by legislators and other decision-makers at the international, EU and national levels. This course is focused on the international and European Union (EU) law designed to reduce the challenges caused by climate change, involving especially the law that transforms the energy sector from a brown to a green sector. It is first and foremost the use of conventional energy sources in the electricity sector, the heating sector and the transport sector that drives the growth in greenhouse gas emission. The course will be of interests for students of law who want to be future practitioners in law firms, public authorities, or as practitioners within international, EU and national organizations focusing of climate and energy interests.

Learning objectives

Knowledge

• The (UNFCCC), the Paris Agreement, the Copenhagen Accord and the Durban Platform as implemented by the parties are the most important international legislative and non-legislative instruments.
•  The United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP), the International Energy Agency (IEA’s) and the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD’s)  in their role at the global level with reports/initiatives on new regulatory instruments on greening of the energy sector.
• Knowledge on opportunities posed by renewable energy sources and other new energy technologies to address the threats posed by climate change with a legal perspective – focusing e.g. on the EU’s Climate and Energy Package.

• Also project agreements between countries (involving the private sector) and other sorts of financing of transfer of energy technologies under the UNFCCC by the course.
• The Renewable Energy Directive, the Energy Efficiency Directive and the EU Emission Trading System (ETS) Directive
• The role of the EU as a global actor and as a legal person representing the 27 Member States.

Skills

• Master the terminology and concepts of the field
• Apply the relevant rules and the way of interpretation
• Identify and bridge the gap between rules protecting the environment and those protecting human rights on the way in which to enforce climate change substantive law through the involvement of civil society in the procedural dimension of law
• Interpret and apply rules of the relevant climate law in energy rectors
• Present and explain an analysis of a theoretical or practical problem in a convincing and appropriate manner

Competences

• Put in perspective the climate and renewable energy law in the context of the effects of globalization on law
• Present and explain the legal challenges related to the design of climate change law at international and EU levels
• Understand the market based instruments used in UNFCCC as well as in the promotion of renewable energy
• Understand the legal conditions for the use of specific renewable energy technologies – especially solar energy technologies, wind turbines and biofuels
• Understanding spatial planning regulation/decision-making – as well as the protection of international protected areas – as extremely important aspects to the advancement of commercial scale renewable energy facilities

Type of instruction

• Lectures

Extent and expected workload

• 270 hours

Exam

Exams