Module: Climate Change Law

Latest Module Specifications

Current Academic Year 2025 - 2026

Module Title	Climate Change Law
Module Code	LAW1061 (ITS: LG5035)
Faculty	Law & Government	School	Humanities & Social Sciences
NFQ level	9	Credit Rating	10

Description

This module seeks to expose students to the key legal frameworks emerging from international, EU and domestic law designed to tackle climate change. The module examines the evolution of legal measures to address climate change at international level, and explores their current iteration. It critically assesses the measures taken at EU level, through both transnational regulation and subnational measures. It engages with measures taken at domestic level in Ireland to implement Union law provisions. Students will have the opportunity to apply the law in this area to a specific factual circumstance through an advocacy exercise.

Learning Outcomes

1. Knowledge – Breadth A systematic understanding of state-of-the-art knowledge regarding key challenges associated with combating climate change, drawing on frontier legal research.
2. Knowledge – Kind In-depth understanding and critical awareness of how legal structures constrain and enable responses to climate change; in-depth understanding and critical awareness of how challenges can be overcome and what role legal actors can play; ability to design, apply and interpret appropriate legal research methods.
3. Skill – Range An ability to collect and synthesise information from a variety of primary and secondary legal sources; an ability to utilise theoretical and methodological legal approaches to address research problems.
4. Skill – Selectivity An ability to conduct library-based and electronic research; an ability to work in a legal context but also to communicate across different disciplinary boundaries.

*Type*	*Hours*	*Description*
Workload	Full time hours per semester
Lecture	24	2 hour lecture. Class discussion expected
Independent Study	226	Research, Reading, Completing Assignment
Total Workload: 250

Section Breakdown
CRN	20616	Part of Term	Semester 2
Coursework	0%	Examination Weight	0%
Grade Scale	40PASS	Pass Both Elements	Y
Resit Category	RC1	Best Mark	N
Module Co-ordinator	Goran Dominioni	Module Teacher	Diarmuid Torney, Iain McMenamin

Type	Description	% of total	Assessment Date
Assessment Breakdown
Essay	Traditional 2,500 word report on specific issue	40%	Week 5
Group presentation	Group research and advocate for or against a particular problem	60%	Week 12

Reassessment Requirement Type
Resit arrangements are explained by the following categories; RC1: A resit is available for both^* components of the module. RC2: No resit is available for a 100% coursework module. RC3: No resit is available for the coursework component where there is a coursework and summative examination element. ^* ‘Both’ is used in the context of the module having a coursework/summative examination split; where the module is 100% coursework, there will also be a resit of the assessment

Pre-requisite	None
Co-requisite	None
Compatibles	None
Incompatibles	None

All module information is indicative and subject to change. For further information,students are advised to refer to the University's Marks and Standards and Programme Specific Regulations at: http://www.dcu.ie/registry/examinations/index.shtml

Indicative Content and Learning Activities

Topic 1 – International Environmental Law and the development of legal instruments to tackle climate change

Topic 2 – The Conference of the Parties system and the Kyoto Protocol

Topic 3 – The Paris Agreement

Topic 4 - Climate Change as a Human Rights Issue

Topic 5 - International Litigation on Climate Change

Topic 6 – The Emissions Trading System

Topic 7 – Effort Sharing Decision

Topic 8 - Subnational responses – Covenant of Mayors

Topic 9 - Ireland’s legislative response to climate change

Topic 10 – Action at local authority and state agency level

Indicative Reading List

Books:

Sanja Bogojević: 2016, Climate Change Law and Policy in the European Union, OUP,
Edwin Woerdman, Martha Roggenkamp, Marijn Holwerda: 2015, Essential EU Climate Law, Edward Elgar,
Angelo, Mary Jane, editor; Du Plessis, Anél, editor: 2017, Research Handbook on Climate Change and Agricultural Law, Edward Elgar Publishing,
Delimatsis, Panagiotis, editor: 2016, Research Handbook on Climate Change and Trade Law, Edward Elgar Publishing,
S.E. Weishaar: 2016, Research Handbook on Emissions Trading, Edward Elgar Publishing,
Calster, Geert van, editor; Reins, Leonie, editor; Vandenberghe, Wim, editor: 2015, Research Handbook on Climate Change Mitigation Law, Edward Elgar Publishing,
Maria Lee: 2014, EU Environmental Law, Governance and Decision-Making, Hart Publishing,
J.F. Masson: 2010, Climate Change Litigation and Law, Masson,
Posner, Eric A; Weisbach, David A: 2010, Climate Change Justice, Princeton University Press,
Human Rights and Climate Change: 2010, Humphreys, Stephen, Cambridge University Press,
Curtin, Joseph; Hanrahan, Gina: 2012, Why legislate?: Designing a Climate Law for Ireland, Institute of International and European Affairs,

Articles:
None

Other Resources

None