Course 2025-2026 a.y.

30642 - ADMINISTRATIVE ENVIRONMENTAL LAW AND CLIMATE CHANGE

Department of Law

Course taught in English
31
BGL (6 credits - I sem. - OBS  |  IUS/10)
Course Director:
MIRIAM ALLENA

Classes: 31 (I sem.)
Instructors:
Class 31: MIRIAM ALLENA


Mission & Content Summary

MISSION

The task of managing environmental risks and liabilities and attending to environmental regulatory challenges is not anymore reserved to public bodies: multinational companies are increasingly required by regulators and courts to perform traditional public/governmental tasks. Indeed, expanding domestic and international environmental regulatory regimes are creating new compliance obligations for companies, while pressing environmental issues (such as climate change, water scarcity, biodiversity loss) have strengthened environmental awareness and activism, changing the way companies operate and react to the said challenges. The course deals with the new role private and public bodies play in the green transition. Sustainability/ESG initiatives, which are becoming increasingly legally binding, particularly in Europe, are transforming the way public bodies deal with environmental issues and companies define environmental performance and compliance. Students are introduced to the key challenges and opportunities faced by policy makers, governments, companies and citizens in tackling environmental and social problems and the complex issue of sustainable development.

CONTENT SUMMARY

  • The redefinition of the role of government and business to address social and environmental challenges
  • The redefinition of the corporate purpose and the future of capitalism.
  • From the said perspective, the following main topics will be addressed:

-  Principles of European Environmental Law

- Techniques for environmental management: examples of command and control regulations

- Climate change regulation and market tools

- The new European ESG landscape and the newes regulatory tools


Intended Learning Outcomes (ILO)

KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING

At the end of the course student will be able to...
  • Gain a deeper legal understanding of EU environmental principles and the concept of sustainable development
  • Understand the complex nature of environmental issues
  • Analyse the various regulatory strategies involved in dealing with environmental problems and the role of the key actors involved in implementing such strategies within the EU
  • Understand and discuss the new role of public and private bodies in the pursuit of environmental goals
  • Gain a solid understanding of the new European ESG legal framework and its intrinsic rationale.
  • Foster team work, critical and analytical analysis and problem solving (especially through case studies and class projects)

APPLYING KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING

At the end of the course student will be able to...
  • Discuss the way public bodies address environemntal issues
  • Critically assess the broader articulation of the role of companies and their capability to address harms to society or the environment
  • Be aware of relevant stakeholders, their preferences, and the path by which they can influence EU environmental law.
  • Locate, read, and analyze EU and domestic environmental law and case law

Teaching methods

  • Lectures
  • Guest speaker's talks (in class or in distance)
  • Practical Exercises
  • Collaborative Works / Assignments

DETAILS

Teaching method is based on active learning and includes lectures and several case studies (as an aid to understanding). Students are expected to ensure regular class attendance (at least 75%) and to actively participate in class discussions and teamwork. Slides and other materials are made available to students beforehand in order to facilitate note taking.


Assessment methods

  Continuous assessment Partial exams General exam
  • Written individual exam (traditional/online)
     x
  • Individual Works/ Assignment (report, exercise, presentation, project work etc.)
 x    
  • Collaborative Works / Assignment (report, exercise, presentation, project work etc.)
 x    

Teaching materials


ATTENDING AND NOT ATTENDING STUDENTS

J. van Zeben, A. Rowell, A guide to EU environmental law, 2020, University of California Press, ISBN-10 0520295226.

Other materials and selected readings will be indicated at the beginning of the course and will be available online.

Notes will be provided with slides.

Last change 03/06/2025 21:05