CLIMATE AND ENERGY LAW - 2026/7

Module Overview

This module is intended to introduce students to legal developments on climate change and energy, with an emphasis on interconnections between international, regional and UK levels. Students will gain an understanding of the fundamentals of climate and energy law initiatives focusing on developments to transition to non-fossil fuel energy systems. Students will develop a critical understanding of key concepts and guiding principles behind climate and energy law. They will also build skills so they can critically engage with scholarly debates relating to the development of climate and energy law. The module focuses on selected topics and case-studies. It engages with contemporary debates on issues including climate and energy security and justice, the right to a healthy environment, planning law, energy infrastructure decommissioning and investment, sustainability, circular economy and net zero.

Module provider

Surrey Law School

Module Leader

LESNIEWSKA Feja (Law)

Number of Credits: 15

ECTS Credits: 7.5

Framework: FHEQ Level 6

Module cap (Maximum number of students): N/A

Module Availability

Semester 2

Prerequisites / Co-requisites

The module will be mandatory for students on the LLB Law, Environment and Sustainability pathway

Module content

Indicative content includes -

• Introduction to concepts and principles of climate change and energy law
• Climate change law and decarbonization strategies: UK, EU and international
• Planning and permits 
• Finance: subsidies, emissions trading, taxes and insurance
• New nuclear and carbon capture storage and use
• Transport ¿ biofuels and electric
• Energy infrastructure: risk, resilience and decommissioning
• Smart energy systems: innovations, contracts and digital security
• Litigation: corporate and rights based

Assessment pattern

Alternative Assessment

N/A

Assessment Strategy

The assessment strategy is designed to provide students with the opportunity to demonstrate their understanding of legal and policy responses to climate change and energy within the UK as well as at the regional and international levels. The formative assessment focuses on testing knowledge of selected preliminary topics, and students¿ ability to do legal research and articulate fluent, well-argued responses to an essay question. The summative assessment tests the learning outcomes, identifying and rewarding students¿ analytical skills and demonstration of knowledge. In formative and summative assessments, students are encouraged to address themes from across the module. The mature reflection on and implementation of formative and in-class feedback will build students¿ resourcefulness and resilience in improving their performance in the module¿s learning activities and assessments. The transferable skills developed during the module, including critical thinking and analysis, public speaking and communication skills, will enhance students¿ academic capacity for future studies and enhance essential skills for their employability.Formative assessment and feedback:Students will be given the opportunity to complete a short formative assessment. Feedback will be provided to support students¿ academic development. Written feedback is provided on formative assessments, and oral feedback is provided in tutorials and in revision lectures. Students will get verbal feedback throughout the discussions on topics during teaching sessions.Summative Assessment:Students will complete a summative essay-based coursework assessment of 3000 words. Questions will address topics from across the module. This encourages students to engage deeply in a range of topic areas for the assessment and allows us to test whether students can make connections across the topics in the module. Questions will be designed to allow students to show that they have understood the basic concepts and principles and that they can analyse novel problems and issues relating to climate change and energy law in depth. Students are expected to substantiate claims made by drawing on appropriate evidence. 

Module aims

• Provide an introduction to climate change and energy law
• Provide opportunities to explore the interconnections between climate change and energy law internationally, regionally and in the UK
• Explore case-studies on contemporary legislative and policy initiatives to transition to net zero energy systems
• Foster advanced engagement with relevant literature on the topics covered

Learning outcomes

Methods of Teaching / Learning

The learning and teaching strategy is designed to complement the learning and teaching strategy across our programmes. It does so by fostering advanced knowledge, understanding and critical awareness of selected legal topics relating to tackling climate change, energy law and sustainability through varied teaching and learning methods. Students are offered learning and feedback opportunities through lectures, tutorials, video content, supporting students¿ to be resourceful when self-reflecting on strategies to improve their performance.The learning and teaching methods include a combination of lectures, tutorials and independent study throughout the semester. The two hour lecture and one hour tutorial format provides students with a comprehensive understanding of the topic and content and the opportunity to explore at depth specific law and policy issues. The delivery format of the taught hours for this module is: a lecture session scheduled during teaching weeks, complimented by a one hour tutorial which are supplemented by guided learning and resources provided via the SurreyLearn module area, and consultation hours during the semester. Students will become familiar with accessing and interpreting a mix of legal and policy documents to inform their understanding of topics, with an emphasis placed on discussion-based activities to enhance students¿ ability to listen, articulate complex ideas orally, and consider legal problems both independently and collaboratively.

Indicated Lecture Hours (which may also include seminars, tutorials, workshops and other contact time) are approximate and may include in-class tests where one or more of these are an assessment on the module. In-class tests are scheduled/organised separately to taught content and will be published on to student personal timetables, where they apply to taken modules, as soon as they are finalised by central administration. This will usually be after the initial publication of the teaching timetable for the relevant semester.

Reading list

https://readinglists.surrey.ac.uk
Upon accessing the reading list, please search for the module using the module code: LAW3153

Other information

Sustainability: 

The substance of the topics studied on this module are squarely in the realm of sustainability and environmental protection. When exploring ways in which climate change and energy law are evolving to meet the challenges to transition to a net zero system students will be called on to reflect on the implications of, for example, specific environmental challenges; just transition; climate and energy justice; human rights implications of legal and policy initiatives. Through their reading, critical thinking and discussions, students will gain an overview of legal and policy initiatives, with in-depth case-studies providing a focus for deeper reflection on substantive environmental, economic and social challenges.

Global and cultural capabilities: 

During the module, students may reflect on their own experiences and be prepared to discuss different cultural factors in case-studies, and judgments to enhance their understanding of the topics. This will also develop their understanding of the varied contexts in which climate and energy transformation is occurring, and the challenges faced by individuals and communities. Being open-minded to these challenges and to diverse views and perspectives will help students gain a greater understanding of how action may be effectively taken to address climate and energy legal issues across the globe.

Employability: 

The skills practiced in preparation for tutorial activities and when completing formative and summative assessments are essential skills for employability. The tasks set will enable students to hone their ability to interpret and discuss advanced literature and brainstorm solutions to complex problems. The transferable skills developed during the module, including critical thinking and analysis, public speaking and communication skills, will enhance students¿ academic capacity for future studies and enhance essential skills for their employability ¿ whether in legal practice as a barrister or solicitor, in a research/teaching career, or in associated professions.

Resourcefulness and resilience:

Students are encouraged to take advantage of oral and written feedback offered in response to their class participation and formative assessment. Mature reflection on and implementation of formative and in-class feedback will build students¿ resourcefulness and resilience in improving their performance in the module¿s learning activities and assessments. The module also develops these qualities through the in-depth study of the intersections between climate change, energy and law - supporting students to become more responsible citizens in a world where transitioning to net zero energy systems to mitigate climate change will be one of the defining challenges of our lifetimes. 

Digital capabilities and legal research: 

The module workshops and assessments require students to develop and practice digital legal research skills using materials that will be unfamiliar to them at the outset (e.g. accessing Treaties; case law from national, regional and international courts; policy documents). Successful students will quickly become adept at finding and reading relevant materials and be prepared to discuss judgments and dissenting opinions in cases, and a variety of legal, and policy initiatives to pursue various environmental issues relating to the energy transformation globally.

Please note that the information detailed within this record is accurate at the time of publishing and may be subject to change. This record contains information for the most up to date version of the programme / module for the 2026/7 academic year.