Climate Change and International Law

blended course

The 7th Thessaloniki Summer Courses on “Climate Change and International Law” will focus on the international law responses to climate change. The complex phenomenon of climate change upends many constants of international law and calls for innovative solutions. Its unprecedented traits as a global threat, where scientific knowledge continuously evolves, its institutional arrangements and the multiplicity of actors involved in climate change governance have put a strain on international law and led to bold and groundbreaking normative developments, such as the principles of adaptation, mitigation and non-regression, the common but differentiated responsibilities, the emissions’ trade and the concept of nationally determined contributions and how their implementation can be monitored. The Summer Course will approach the evolving climate change regime and will also highlight the impact of climate change on other special fields of international law.
In this context, the Summer Course will delve into a variety of crucial aspects relating to climate change in contemporary international law. The lectures by renowned scholars and experts in the field will focus, inter alia, on the historical evolution of the international climate regime and the role of science; the main universal instruments, in particular the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement; the special rules on liability, loss and damage; the impact of climate change on the law of the sea, environmental law (with an emphasis on biodiversity), migration law or the law of armed conflict; the various types of climate change litigation and the challenges it represents for international justice; the relationship between climate change and human rights or international trade and investment law; the contribution of the EU and the Global South to the climate governance. These issues will be covered from a practical perspective by examining the most recent developments (including the COP26 in Glasgow) and the case-law of domestic and international courts and tribunals.

Course leader

DOUSSIS Emmanuella (Professor of International Institutions, UNESCO Chair on Climate Diplomacy).

Target group

The 2022 Thessaloniki Summer Courses on “Climate Change and International Law” are open to undergraduate and postgraduate students, especially LLM students and PhD candidates, young academics, personnel of international organizations, researchers and practitioners from all over the world with a keen interest in climate related issues and International Law.

Course aim

The Kalliopi Koufa Foundation has launched, beginning July 2015, an academic programme providing a unique experience for participants specializing in international law and human rights. The programme, under the title “Thessaloniki Summer Courses on International Law and Human Rights” offers, on a yearly basis, a ten-days intensive and highly stimulating summer course covering a variant of salient law and political issues in the relevant social sciences fields.
The courses are hosted by the Foundation in the historical city of Thessaloniki and they consist of lectures, workshops and seminars conducted by prestigious academics and practitioners from all over the world, aiming to bridge theory with practice and to nourish interactive dialogue. The main objective of the 2022 Thessaloniki Summer Courses on “Climate Change and International Law” is to give participants the chance to engage in an in-depth examination of the topic, discuss with some of the most renowned scholars in the field and get acquainted with cutting-edge research in the topic of climate change. This year’s hybrid format of the courses will give participants from all over the world the opportunity to interact with lecturers both in person and online.

Credits info

The Foundation awards a Certificate of Attendance to all participants who have regularly attended the courses, lectures and expert workshops. The Foundation will also award a Course Diploma. Only participants holding a law degree will be eligible to apply for the Diploma exam. To obtain the Diploma, participants will need to attend diligently the courses, lectures and workshops and successfully pass an examination in English on Wednesday, 6 July 2022 in the afternoon. The Directors of the Summer Course reserve the right to make a choice of the most qualified candidates, based on their CV and qualifications, to sit in the exam. For practical reasons, the number of participants taking the exam will be limited.

Fee info

EUR 300: Closing date for application is 31 May 2022 and the application fee is 300€. Candidates will be notified on their admission and any decision on scholarship requests via e-mail until 10 June 2022. They will need to pay the application fee until 20 June 2022. There will be no reimbursement in case of withdrawal. The fee covers registration, attendance, course material and the appropriate certificate of attendance but does NOT cover accommodation, travel expenses and any meals. For excursions (optional participation), an extra fee will apply (more information will be available in due course).
Participation is subject both to approval of the application and due receipt of the payment of the fee.
EUR 250: Early-bird application: Candidates applying until 31 March 2022 will get a reduced application fee of 250€. They will be notified on their admission and any decision on scholarship requests via e-mail until 10 April 2022. They will need to pay the application fee until 20 April 2022. In case of withdrawal until 30 April 2022, 100€ will be reimbursed. There will be no reimbursement after that date. The fee covers registration, attendance, course material and the appropriate certificate of attendance but does NOT cover accommodation, travel expenses and any meals. For excursions (optional participation), an extra fee will apply (more information will be available in due course).
Participation is subject both to approval of the application and due receipt of the payment of the fee.

Scholarships

The Foundation may offer a limited number of scholarships upon its absolute discretion to candidates who are nationals of non-EU and non-OECD countries and hold a law degree at the time of application. Scholarship requests should be made upon application.