76024 Environmental Law

Description

This subject evaluates the effectiveness of environmental regulation in Australia, by examining the interaction of rules, relationships, systems and processes designed to protect the environment. In conjunction with considerations of practical aspects of environmental law, the subject also provides students with an introduction to environmental ethics, planning law and planning policy.

Students are called upon to engage continuously with the notion of sustainable development which weaves throughout the subject as a consistent theme. An understanding of sustainable development provides the linchpin for evaluating the effectiveness of environmental regulation in a variety of contexts including:

• decision making which incorporates trade-offs, and
• humanity's increasing consumption of environmental resources.

The learning materials focus on the key themes which underpin the practice of environmental law, such as:

• the role of private property rights and environmental protection
• sustainable development
• the protection of biodiversity, and
• pollution and climate change.

Successful completion of the subject provides students with a valuable foundation of knowledge of environmental law from which they can successfully undertake more specialised environmental law subjects, including international environmental law, climate change law, and international trade law and the environment.

The subject takes a practice-oriented approach to student learning by focusing discussion on problem questions that deal with real environmental issues on which legal professionals provide advice in professional practice.