Course Code: C114

Course Title: International environmental law

College: SOAS CEDEP

Course Director: Laurence Smith

Course Description: This course looks at the principles and rules of international law which have as their primary objective the protection of the environment. The course addresses how the international community has recognised and sought to deal with the interdependence of the global environment, from early bilateral arrangements dealing principally with local trans-boundary pollution to more recent regional and international agreements.

Multilateral approaches to environmental problems have had to attempt to reconcile state sovereignty with the placing of limits on the rights of states and other members of the international community to carry out or permit environmentally damaging activities, as well as the interplay between environmental protection objectives and the economic and developmental needs of states.

The course outlines the international legal processes through which international environmental issues are addressed, the principles which underlie or guide the action taken, the substance of the principles and rules relating to environmental problems generally, including the principle of sustainable development, and various techniques for implementing these principles and rules. It considers how successfully the international legal instruments and processes under consideration achieve their objectives and how they might be improved.

In summary, in addition to providing a general introduction to the wide and dynamic field of international environmental law, the course seeks to address key contemporary issues of our planet - climate change and overexploitation of natural resources - their causes, catastrophic effects and potential legal solutions.

By the end of this course, you will have gained an understanding of:

• The fundamental principles and rules of international environmental law, and the legal and institutional framework in which they have developed and are implemented.

• Techniques and problems of implementing and enforcing international environmental law.

• Methods which have developed to facilitate global participation in international environmental agreements and to address the relationship between environmental and developmental objectives.

• A critical appreciation of how international environmental law develops and of its strengths and limitations.

Assessment: Exam 100%

Course Credit: All SOAS CeDEP short course students receive a certificate of completion. Students of SOAS CeDEP Short Courses who may wish to transfer credit to Certificate, Diploma or Masters-level programmes are advised to select short courses which also act as Core Modules on CeDEP's various programmes.

Course Study Hours/Duration: 240 hrs over 35 weeks

Schedule of Availability: Feb - Oct (Enrolment deadline prior to Feb start - 30th November)

Delivery Mechanisms: Print; CD-Rom; Online Discussion

Cost: £960

How to apply: To enquire about applying for this course, or for any other information, please contact the Course Administrator using the online Enquiry Form below