030515 KU Climate Change and Environmental Protection in International Law (2026W)
Continuous assessment of course work
Labels
Registration/Deregistration
Note: The time of your registration within the registration period has no effect on the allocation of places (no first come, first served).
- Registration is open from Mo 14.09.2026 00:01 to Mo 28.09.2026 23:59
- Deregistration possible until We 14.10.2026 23:59
Details
max. 40 participants
Language: English
Lecturers
Classes (iCal) - next class is marked with N
The preliminary meeting on 7th October will be held online.
- Wednesday 07.10. 11:00 - 13:00 Seminarraum SEM51 Schottenbastei 10-16, Juridicum 5.OG (Kickoff Class)
- N Monday 14.12. 13:30 - 16:30 Seminarraum SEM52 Schottenbastei 10-16, Juridicum 5.OG
- Tuesday 15.12. 13:30 - 16:30 Seminarraum SEM52 Schottenbastei 10-16, Juridicum 5.OG
- Wednesday 16.12. 13:30 - 16:30 Seminarraum SEM52 Schottenbastei 10-16, Juridicum 5.OG
- Thursday 17.12. 13:30 - 16:30 Seminarraum SEM52 Schottenbastei 10-16, Juridicum 5.OG
- Friday 18.12. 13:30 - 16:30 Seminarraum SEM52 Schottenbastei 10-16, Juridicum 5.OG
Information
Aims, contents and method of the course
Assessment and permitted materials
Assessment is continuous and consists of three components:
1. Active Participation (20%)
This component evaluates regular attendance, preparation of the required readings and meaningful contributions to class discussions. The course is designed as an interactive course rather than a traditional lecture format.
2. Marketplace Presentation (30%)
Students deliver a five-minute “elevator pitch” within a Marketplace format on a self-selected topic related to international environmental or international climate law. Presentations take place in small groups of three students and are followed by an in-depth discussion among peers. Creative approaches and visual support, such as a poster or handout, are encouraged in order to communicate the core ideas effectively.
3. Written Final Exam (50%)
The course concludes with a written examination (approximately 45 minutes) consisting of multiple-choice questions and one essay question related to the student’s Marketplace presentation topic.
Assessment focuses on a solid understanding of the core principles of international environmental and climate law, the ability to connect these principles to general public international law and the demonstration of critical thinking and structured legal argumentation.
Preparation based on the course sessions, the PowerPoint slides, and the mandatory readings discussed in class will be sufficient for the examination.
1. Active Participation (20%)
This component evaluates regular attendance, preparation of the required readings and meaningful contributions to class discussions. The course is designed as an interactive course rather than a traditional lecture format.
2. Marketplace Presentation (30%)
Students deliver a five-minute “elevator pitch” within a Marketplace format on a self-selected topic related to international environmental or international climate law. Presentations take place in small groups of three students and are followed by an in-depth discussion among peers. Creative approaches and visual support, such as a poster or handout, are encouraged in order to communicate the core ideas effectively.
3. Written Final Exam (50%)
The course concludes with a written examination (approximately 45 minutes) consisting of multiple-choice questions and one essay question related to the student’s Marketplace presentation topic.
Assessment focuses on a solid understanding of the core principles of international environmental and climate law, the ability to connect these principles to general public international law and the demonstration of critical thinking and structured legal argumentation.
Preparation based on the course sessions, the PowerPoint slides, and the mandatory readings discussed in class will be sufficient for the examination.
Minimum requirements and assessment criteria
Students should attend the course regularly, actively participate and complete all assessment components in order to pass the course. Grading is based on the willingness to discuss and engage with the topics of international climate and environmental law. Further details will be provided in the first session.
Examination topics
Will be discussed in the first preliminary session.
Reading list
All course materials are made available online and can be found in the “Readings” folder on Moodle. The course includes a limited number of mandatory readings, carefully selected and balanced in light of the intensive time spent in class during the block format over one week. Additional optional readings are provided for students who wish to explore specific topics in greater depth.
Association in the course directory
Last modified: Sa 26.09.2026 14:25
The aim of this course is to explore the relationship between climate law and public international law and to reflect on this connection through critical discussion. The guiding thread of the course follows the Advisory Opinion of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) of July 2025 on climate change. Along this landmark opinion, the central elements of international climate law are systematically examined.
The course begins with an overview of the international climate treaty regime and its historical development, from the 1972 Stockholm Conference and the 1992 Rio Conference to the 2015 Paris Agreement. In line with the structure of the ICJ Advisory Opinion, the course then turns to general principles of public international law and the foundational principles of international environmental law (including common but differentiated responsibilities (CBDR), intergenerational equity, and the prohibition of significant transboundary environmental harm). To situate these developments within classical international law, selected decisions of the ICJ, in particular the Pulp Mills case, are examined. Through such case studies, the core principles of international environmental law as well as the role of science in climate litigation are analysed and discussed.
A further central focus lies on the human rights dimension of climate law. The course addresses the “greening of human rights”, which means the use of human rights for imposing environmental and climate-related obligations as well as the right to a healthy environment, which has been recognised at the UN level since 2020 but has not yet been explicitly codified as a standalone right within the European human rights system. The course analyses both the international level – in particular the ICJ Advisory Opinion and decisions of the UN Human Rights Committee (such as the Teitiota and Torres Strait Islanders cases) – and the regional dimension of climate litigation, including the advisory opinions of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights and the climate case law of the European Court of Human Rights (including Duarte Agostinho, Verein Klimaseniorinnen Schweiz, and cases against Austria such as those brought by Mex Müllner and Fliegenschnee).
Within this jurisprudence, questions of state responsibility, extraterritorial obligations, standing, possible remedies and reparations are discussed. The course also critically examines issues of implementation and the actual impact of climate judgments, as well as concerns raised by critics regarding the rule of law and the separation of powers in climate litigation.
In addition, depending on students’ interests, selected special topics – such as climate migration, fossil fuels, or corporate responsibility in the context of Business and Human Rights etc. – are explored in greater depth. These thematic priorities are determined by the students themselves.