LLM Rights of Nature Seminar

This seminar explores the boundaries of an emerging concept in environmental law, the rights of nature, not based on human protection, use or enjoyment but rather rights recognized in nature itself. It explores the evolution of existing norms for species protection, for example, based on moral and philosophical grounds, some based on other cultures and even civilizations, and the appearance more recently of constitutional provisions and community-based initiatives around the world according these rights more broadly. It is, thus, both very old, and very new. One challenge of the course will be to explore what these rights, as a practical matter, mean, and what they might mean. Grading will be based on class discussion, research and a final paper. Priority will be given to students who have taken Natural Resources, Pollution Control or at least one other related environmental law course.