CAOS 269
Environmental Law and Policy Fall 2024
Division II
Cross-listed ENVI 269

America’s environmental statutes, regulations, legal precedents, and policies have grown in complexity over the last 75 years. These bi-partisan, broadly supported laws also shaped environmental laws and policies in the European Union, China, the Middle East, and countries in the Global South. Yet in 2024, America is no longer a global leader in climate mitigation or environmental protection. As legal and policy solutions to environmental problems continue to evolve based on values, science, market dynamics, and increasing climate change impacts, it is important to study this complex legal landscape to understand where opportunities lie for more ambitious and just solutions to complex environmental problems. This class surveys major environmental laws and policies by looking at cases of current, complex environmental problems. This course will focus not only on the hallmark American environmental laws, regulations, and policies but also on the interplay of state and tribal law, food, water, mineral, energy, tax, and animal rights law issues, and international treaties and climate agreements. By the completion of the semester, students will understand both the successes and failures of modern environmental law. In addition to learning about the substantive legal issues covered in the course, students will develop legal research skills associated with researching statutes and regulations and interpreting judicial decisions. This course will help students interested in future work in law or policy understand how to analyze cases, regulations, and policy, and see opportunities for future solutions.