2013 Seminar Descriptions and Schedule
The seminars for the 2013 Environmental Law Summer Session are still to be determined. The following professional development seminars are likely to be offered in 2013. Some of the dates and descriptions below are finalized, however, others are still to be determined. Please email us at summerenvironment@wcl.american.edu if you have any questions or would like to be added to a list to receive updates about seminars and schedule.
10:00 to 12:30PM |
International Institutions and Environmental Protection |
6:00 to 9:00 PM |
Development Finance and the Environment |
2:00 to 5:00 PM |
Environmental Law & the US Congress Laurel Angell This seminar explores Congress's impact on U.S. environmental laws, with an emphasis on the law-making processes and practices relating to the enactment of federal environmental law, and Congress's response to current substantive issues related to the environment. |
6:00 to 9:00 PM |
International Business and Environment |
2:00 to 4:30 PM |
European Union and Climate Change This seminar surveys key elements and recent developments in the European Union’s treatment of climate change. |
2:00 to 5:00 PM |
Environmental Compliance and Enforcement |
6:30 to 9:00 PM |
State Clean Energy Law This seminar investigates the legal and policy framework and practical considerations involved in States developing clean energy laws to address climate change. (In place of Climate Change and Emissions Trading) |
6:30 to 9:00 PM
|
International Wildlife Law David Downes Reviews the major principles of international law for the conservation of biological diversity and wildlife. We will discuss international agreements on subjects such as biological diversity, oceans fisheries, migratory species, and wildlife trade, with a problem-solving perspective that takes account of the nature of biodiversity and the range of policy and management tools that can promote conservation. |
| 2:00 to 5:00 PM Mon., June 3 - Th., June 6 (1 week seminar) |
Fracking (Hydraulic Fracturing) Law & Policy This course will examine the law and policy related to hydraulic fracturing (fracking). This course will explore the law and policy related to hydraulic fracturing (fracking). In this course students will learn about the complex science and unsettled law of hydraulic fracturing and met with experts from industry, local government, and an environmental NGO to hear various perspectives about this timely topic. The course will have guest speakers and will give students a broad overview of the fracking issue and a range of perspectives to consider when thinking about the costs and benefits of the ongoing natural gas boom. Local, state, and national governments in the U.S. and abroad are currently wrestling with fracking law and policy. To learn more about this topic, click here for a list of readings from this class. If you’re interested in viewing the course syllabus, please contact Professor Leiter at leiter@wcl.american.edu |
6:30 to 9:00 PM |
International Climate Change Law This seminar will provide an overview of the international response to climate change through the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) with a focus on the effectiveness of existing approaches and the current status of negotiations. We will cover the negotiation, structure and implementation of both the UNFCCC and the Kyoto Protocol. The seminar will also track current events and news reports that relate to climate change in order to relate these sometimes abstract concepts currently in the news. We will also explore the ongoing effort to negotiate the post-2012 international climate regime and why the effort has proved elusive despite wide agreement that human induced climate change is occurring and risks grave consequences. The seminar will examine examples of how climate change interacts with other bodies of international law (e.g., the Ozone Treaty, Human Rights, Law of the Sea). We will conclude by examining selected topics relating to climate law and policy in the United States and considering the role for law in the transition to a low-carbon future. |
| One Week Special Workshop Mon., June 17 - Fri., June 21 (5 Days; All Day) |
Trade and Environment: A Joint Seminar with the OAS The Organization of American States and the Environmental Law Summer Session will be holding a week-long program on trade and environment that will conclude with a trade simulation exercise. The program will take place from June 20-June 24 (after the other summer session seminars) and is a full-day program each day. The seminar consists of different modules taught by practitioners from non-governmental organizations, international organizations, and government from throughout the Americas. For more information about the readings and schedule, please click here. This program has limited space. |
Related Seminar
The following seminar will be offered by the Program on Information Justice and Intellectual Property and cross-listed with the Environmental Law Summer Session.
9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. |
Intellectual Property and Sustainable Development This seminar explores how intellectual property intersects with environmental sustainability, technological innovation, and knowledge policy. Participants in the course will engage in interactive classroom discussion and actively participate in a simulation of international negotiations. |


