Course Section | Columbia Law School

Section Description Provided by Instructor

This course will survey the foundations of international environmental law, and then consider international environmental law as it applies both in the transboundary context and to the global commons. A range of contemporary international environmental issues will be explored including climate change, biodiversity loss and trade and the environment. The course will examine a number of cross-cutting themes, including the relationship between international environmental law and general principles of international law; conflicts among differing legal regimes; the range of approaches to the regulation of activities within and beyond areas under national jurisdiction; the role and impact of competing state interests in the negotiation and enforcement of international regimes; the challenge of regulating in the face of scientific uncertainty; the role of both "soft" and "hard" law in addressing international environmental problems; and the contribution of international tribunals to the development of international environmental law.