Course description

• Course content
• Learning outcome
• Admission
• Prerequisites

• Overlapping courses
• Teaching
• Examination
• Evaluation

Course content

This course introduces students to the international legal norms relevant to addressing climate change and its adverse impacts. These norms are found in the (1) UN climate regime, (2) other international treaty law, such as Human Rights or Law of the Sea, and (3) norms of international customary law. The course will give students an overview over which norms apply in the context of climate change, what their legal content is and what the legal consequences of a potential breach are. The content of the course is adjusted to current legal developments and events and seeks to engage students in an interactive discussion. The course addresses also issues of equity, solidarity, differentiation b between states and global justice. 

Learning outcome

During this course, students will acquire a good understanding of the following topics based on the literature, lectures and case studies:  

• Foundations and sources of international climate law.  

• Principles of international climate: Common But Differentiated Responsibility and Respective Capabilities, Sustainable Development, Precautionary Principle, Polluter Pays Principle, Sovereignty, Jurisdiction  

• Implementation, enforcement and non-compliance procedures  

• Main legal issues related to the international climate change regime (in the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Paris Agreement), including on carbon markets, finance and loss and damage  

• The issues of climate change, security, sustainable development and human rights  

• The relationship between international trade and investment rules and international climate & energy law. Within some of these topics a case study is used as a point of departure for a thorough examination of a specific issue. The cases will be presented at appropriate times during the course, and relevant material will be handed out. The course will mainly have public international law components, but will also include some comparative studies. General competence  

• Understanding of the political and economic context of norms in international climate law and in energy law  

• Make use of legal analysis of these norms in: o the study of other fields of law (e.g. human rights law, international trade law, investment law) o the analysis, drafting and interpretation of national legislation  

• Understanding of complexity, scientific uncertainty and cost effectiveness in the regulation of renewable energy sources 

Admission

You may register for this course if you have admission to a Master’s programme at UiO or the faculty's exchange programme. You can also register for this course if you do not have admission to any programme at UiO, but meet the formal prerequistites.

All students are required meet the formal prerequistites.

Have you met the formal prerequisites at another institution than the University of Oslo, and the results are not formally registered at UiO, you must apply for admission to courses at Master’s level . Students with admission to Master’s degree programmes at other faculties than The Faculty of Law must also apply for admission.

There are a limited places in this course.  

When your admission is in order you must register for courses in StudentWeb

Prerequisites

Formal prerequisite knowledge

Students must fill one of these requirements:

• Passed 1st - 3rd year of the 5-years degree Master of Laws (Master i rettsvitenskap at UiO) (or exams that qualify for exemption for these) or
• Hold a 5-years Master’s degree in Laws (Master i rettsvitenskap at UiO) or equivalent.

Exemptions from the formal prerequisites will be given to students with admission to the faculty's own exchange or master’s degree programmes. This rule does not apply to students with admission to other master’s degree programmes at the University of Oslo, unless otherwise agreed.

Recommended previous knowledge

Students are expected to have prior knowledge of public international law.

Overlapping courses

10 credits overlap with JUR5911 – International Climate Change and Energy Law (discontinued)

Teaching

Language of teaching for this course is English. This means that all communication during lectures/seminars will be in English, and all literature and auxiliary materials are in English.

Teaching is structured in lectures and seminars, where student participation is strongly recommended. Students obtain knowledge and competences as outlined above by individual studies of course literature and other course material, and by taking active part at the lectures and seminars.

Examination

24 hour home exam, maximum 2500 words. 

Footnotes should be included in the word count of the main text. Not included in this count: front page (title etc.), summary, table of contents and references (bibliography). (If relevant for the paper).

Assignments/papers with text exceeding the word limit will not be accepted.

Previous exam papers

Use of sources and rules for citing:

Familiarize yourself with the use of sources and citations in legal writing. In an exam situation, using other people’s material without declaring it in a clear manner may be considered cheating or an attempt at cheating. You must cite any sources you draw on.

Your exam paper must be your own independent work. Exam candidates are not permitted to communicate about the exam question(s) or distribute draft answers or exam answers.

If you break the rules, you may be suspected of cheating or attempted cheating.

Language of examination

The examination text is given in English, and you submit your response in English.

Grading scale

Grades are awarded on a scale from A to F, where A is the best grade and F is a fail. Read more about the grading system.

Marking criteria 

This  guide is used by examiners for grading this course.

Explanations and appeals

• Explanation of grades and appeals

Resit an examination

• Illness at exams / postponed exams
• Resitting an examination.
• There are special rules for resitting a passed examination in the master's programme in Law.

Withdrawal from an examination

It is possible to take this exam up to 3 times. If you withdraw from the exam after the deadline or during the exam, this will be counted as an examination attempt.

There are special rules for resitting a passed examination in the master's programme in Law.

Special examination arrangements

Application form, deadline and requirements for special examination arrangements.

Evaluation

The course is subject to continuous evaluation. At regular intervals we also ask students to participate in a more comprehensive evaluation.

Other

The language for this course is English. Students enrolled in the Masterprogrammet i rettsvitenskap must pass one English subject as part of their degree, this course will meet these obligations.