5 Short Environmental Law Courses You Can Do Anywhere, Anytime

Studying environmental law courses can help you develop a comprehensive understanding of the legal framework surrounding environmental protection. This knowledge can be applied in a variety of ways, such as working for an environmental NGO or government agency, or practising environmental law.

Environmental law courses can also help equip you with the skills to effectively communicate and negotiate on behalf of your clients or organisation. This is increasingly important in today’s world, where the need to find sustainable solutions to environmental problems is more pressing than ever.

So, if you’re looking to make a difference in the world and have a passion for the environment, consider studying one of the courses below. Each course can be completed with a small weekly commitment. However, since courses are self-paced you can choose to do it at your own pace and complete it during a weekend.

1 Environmental Security and Sustaining Peace

Environmental Security and Sustaining Peace is a free online course offered by the SDG Academy. The course is intended for peace specialists, security specialists, natural resource experts, sustainable development practitioners, advanced undergraduate students and graduate students with an interest in sustainable development and peace promotion. Although the class is self-paced, it is recommended that students complete the coursework over an eight-week period, spending two to four hours on the class weekly. The modules that comprise the class are: Overview with case studies: Natural Resources and Conflict Causes; Natural Resources and the Environment during Armed Conflict; and Post-Conflict Environmental Peacebuilding. At the end of the class, students take a final exam.

2 Introduction to Environmental Law and Policy

Introduction to Environmental Law and Policy is a free online law course offered by the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, in the United States. To be successful in the class, students will need some previous knowledge of law. The class lasts for six weeks and requires four to six hours of study time during each week. Coursework is presented through online video lecture modules that include: Common-Law Approaches to Environmental Problems; Property and the Environment; Two Famous Statutory Programs: Environmental Impact Analysis and Endangered-Species Protection; Risk Analysis and Toxic Substances: Pesticides, Trade Disputes over Synthetic Hormones and the Cleanup of Contaminated Sites; Environmental Justice, Water Pollution, Claims to a Human Right to Drinking Water, Fracking, and Insights from an Economic Model of Regulatory Cost-Effectiveness; and Pollution and Climate Change. Students have the option to complete a research exercise at the end of the course.

3 International Water Law

International Water Law is a free online law course offered by the University of Geneva in Switzerland. Coursework is presented through online videos that are produced in French and have English subtitles. The class lasts for five weeks with students completing one video module plus supplementary readings, quizzes and assignments during each week. Modules include Introduction to International Water Law; The Evolution of the International Regulation on Fresh Water Resources; The Principles of the Law on Transboundary Water Resources I; The Principles of the Law on Transboundary Water Resources II; and Prevention and Resolution of Water-Related Disputes.

4 Water Resources Management and Policy

Water Resources Management and Policy is a free online environmental science course offered by the University of Geneva in Switzerland. Anyone with an interest in water science can enroll in the course regardless of previous education and work experience. The class lasts for five weeks and is presented through a series of videos. With each video module, students must also complete readings and take quizzes to assess their mastery of the course material. The modules that comprise the course are: From Resource Definition to the Ideals of Community Management; The Rules of the Resource, their Uses and their Circumvention; From Integrated Water Resource Management to the Water-Food-Energy and Ecosystem Nexus; The Integrated Watershed Management (IWM); and Water as a Source of Conflict and Cooperation.

5 International Climate Change Law and Policy

International Climate Change Law and Policy is a free online law course offered by the University of New Castle in the United Kingdom. This four-week class requires two to three hours of study time per week and can be beneficial for individuals who work in sustainability consulting, environmental management and public policy. Each week, students complete one module of video lectures and supplemental assignments. The modules are: Introduction to Climate Change and the Social Cost of Carbon; Evolution and Architecture of the International Climate Change Regime; Climate Change Policy and The Theory of Externalities; and How Prices Can Save the Global Climate: The Standard-Price-Approach.

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