Our LLM in International Environmental Law equips you with the skills and knowledge to make your own contribution to how governments and organizations are seeking to address the profound environment and climate challenges that are having a massive impact on the lives of people around the world.

You will learn about legal techniques and instruments such as treaty-making, governance and legal orders that provide the framework on which internationally agreed environmental goals are based and which support action taken to tackle issues such as environmental degradation, biodiversity loss and climate change, ozone depletion and plastic pollution.

You will also learn about renewable energy and the role of carbon markets and trading regimes and, as well as climate litigation, you will study the crucial human rights dimension in the protection of the environment and the role of the judiciary in governing action taken and changes made.

The course is delivered against a backdrop of the 2030 UN Sustainable Development Goals and will look at international treaties on environmental protection and at the science driving legal developments, providing you with in-depth learning on the principles of international environmental law and on the relationship between legal systems and science in developing such law.

In particular, you will study the Paris Agreement, which represents a significant milestone in the area of international climate change and will look at the objectives and concepts of the agreement in the context of societal change, equity, and the role of science. 

The course is designed to address how international environmental law is constantly evolving, how it has shaped legal principles, and how it works together with other areas of law.