Climate Change Law & Policy
University of Pennsylvania Law School
Other
Spring 2019
Prof. Mark Nevitt
Masters
Climate change is one of the most challenging problems facing humankind. This semester, we will confront this problem head-on from a legal and policy perspective. Smart, solution-oriented lawyers will play a critical role in addressing the myriad problems caused by climate change. The learning objectives for the course include: 1) Explain the basic causes of climate change and how it impacts the U.S. and global communities. 2) Understand core climate change terms such as “climate adaptation” and “mitigation.” 3) Understand the state of climate change litigation and the governing domestic legal framework to address climate change. 4) Understand the main legal components of the formal international law frameworks (i.e. UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Paris Agreement). 5) Explain the role of climate innovation and business in broader climate change laws and policies. 6) Understand “climate change federalism” and the role of sustainability initiatives already underway at the state and local level.