Environmental Law: Science and Regulation 730720

A student who has successfully completed this subject should:

Gain an understanding of the evolution of environmental law and the factors driving change at an international and national level
Appreciate the pervasive nature of environmental regulation and its impact across law and policy
Understand the influence of other disciplines, such as science, on the scope and character of environmental law
Analyse the nature of current environmental approaches such as ‘regulatory mix’ and their implications for legal form, interpretation and implementation
Be familiar with key case studies that illustrate the dynamic trends in environmental law
Understand the need for integration across many areas of law to achieve environmental goals, such as sustainability.

An examination of the development and current scope of Australian environmental law by reference to key drivers and axes of change, including:

Greater centralisation at the international level, with the recognition that issues of environmental protection generally cross regulatory boundaries and involve more than one community
Greater integration between relevant discipline areas concerned with environmental protection, such as the biological sciences (particularly ecology), the social sciences, economics, politics and law
Greater interaction of environmental law and policy with other regulatory areas, such as those concerned with public health, development, agriculture, water use, indigenous land management and trade.

These themes will be illustrated by cases studies in the following areas:

Melbourne Law School The Melbourne Law Masters