Short course
Climate Litigation: Law, Strategy and Social Change
Course status:
Applications being accepted
Location:
Online
Dates:
11/01/2027 - 22/03/2027
Study format:
Online - live
Fees:
£430.00
Can law be used to minimise the impact of climate change? This 10-week course introduces students to the foundations of climate litigation, including legal reasoning, human rights approaches, tort law, government accountability, and corporate liability. Through close study of major cases such as Urgenda, Juliana, KlimaSeniorinnen, and Lliuya v. RWE, participants will examine how climate change is reshaping legal doctrines including causation, standing, and duty of care. The course combines conceptual teaching with collaborative problem-solving, case analysis, and strategic exercises. Participants will also explore climate justice, intergenerational rights, and the limits of litigation as a tool for social change. No prior legal training or knowledge is required.
Book this course
Book your place online using the button below.
Programme details
This course begins on the 11 January 2027, which is when course materials are made available to students. Students should study these materials in advance of the first live meeting, which will be held on 18 January 2027, 18:00-19:00 (UK time).
Week 1: What is Climate Litigation? Actors, Aims, and Tensions
Week 2: How Law Works: Courts, Judgments, and Legal Reasoning
Week 3: Legal Foundations: Rights, Torts, and Public Law
Week 4: Climate Science and Evidence
Week 5: Government Accountability Litigation
Week 6: Corporate Liability and Transnational Claims
Week 7: Climate Litigation and Human Rights
Week 8: Strategic Litigation and Advocacy
Week 9: Challenges and Doctrinal Limits
Week 10: Future Directions and Climate Justice
Level and demands
This course is open to all, and no prior knowledge is required.
This course is offered at FHEQ level 4 (first year undergraduate level), and you will be expected to engage in independent study in preparation for your assignments. Our 10-week Short Online Courses come with an expected total commitment of 100 study hours.
English Language Requirements
We do not insist that applicants hold an English language certification, but we warn that they may be at a disadvantage if their language skills are not of a comparable level to those qualifications listed on our website. If you are confident in your proficiency, please feel free to enrol. For more information regarding English language requirements, please see here.
Course aims
This course aims to provide students with a critical and accessible introduction to climate litigation as an emerging field of law, governance, and social change:
- Develop understanding of legal reasoning and climate-related legal claims
- Analyse landmark climate litigation across multiple jurisdictions
- Evaluate the effectiveness and limits of litigation as a response to climate change.
IT requirements
Any standard web browser can be used to access course materials on our virtual learning environment, but we recommend Google Chrome. We also recommend that students join the live webinars on Microsoft Teams using a laptop or desktop computer rather than a phone or tablet due to the limited functionality of the app on these devices.
Programme details
This course begins on the 11 January 2027, which is when course materials are made available to students. Students should study these materials in advance of the first live meeting, which will be held on 18 January 2027, 18:00-19:00 (UK time).
Week 1: What is Climate Litigation? Actors, Aims, and Tensions
Week 2: How Law Works: Courts, Judgments, and Legal Reasoning
Week 3: Legal Foundations: Rights, Torts, and Public Law
Week 4: Climate Science and Evidence
Week 5: Government Accountability Litigation
Week 6: Corporate Liability and Transnational Claims
Week 7: Climate Litigation and Human Rights
Week 8: Strategic Litigation and Advocacy
Week 9: Challenges and Doctrinal Limits
Week 10: Future Directions and Climate Justice
Teaching methods
This course takes place over 10 weeks, with a weekly learning schedule and weekly live webinar held on Microsoft Teams. Shortly before a course commences, students are provided with access to an online virtual learning environment, which houses the course content, including video lectures, complemented by readings or other study materials. Working through these materials over the course of the week will prepare students for a weekly 1-hour live webinar you will share with your expert tutor and fellow students. All courses are structured to amount to 100 study hours, so that on average, you should set aside 10 hours a week for study. Although the course finishes after 10 weeks, all learning materials remain available to all students for 12 months after the course has finished.
All courses are led by an expert tutor. Tutors guide students through the course materials as part of the live interactions during the weekly webinars. Tutors will also provide individualised feedback on your assignments. All online courses are taught in small student cohorts so that you and your peers will form a mutually supportive and vibrant learning community for the duration of the course. You will learn from your fellow students as well as from your tutor, and they will learn from you.
Learning outcomes
By the end of the course, students should be able to:
- Explain how legal systems and courts respond to climate-related harms across jurisdictions.
- Analyse landmark climate litigation cases using structured legal reasoning and doctrinal analysis.
- Evaluate the effectiveness, limits, and justice implications of climate litigation as a governance tool.
Assessment methods
You will be set two pieces of work for the course. The first of 500 words is due halfway through your course. This does not count towards your final outcome but preparing for it, and the feedback you are given, will help you prepare for your assessed piece of work of 1,500 words due at the end of the course. The assessed work is marked pass or fail.
Assessment methods
You will be set two pieces of work for the course. The first of 500 words is due halfway through your course. This does not count towards your final outcome but preparing for it, and the feedback you are given, will help you prepare for your assessed piece of work of 1,500 words due at the end of the course. The assessed work is marked pass or fail.
Level and demands
This course is open to all, and no prior knowledge is required.
This course is offered at FHEQ level 4 (first year undergraduate level), and you will be expected to engage in independent study in preparation for your assignments. Our 10-week Short Online Courses come with an expected total commitment of 100 study hours.
English Language Requirements
We do not insist that applicants hold an English language certification, but we warn that they may be at a disadvantage if their language skills are not of a comparable level to those qualifications listed on our website. If you are confident in your proficiency, please feel free to enrol. For more information regarding English language requirements, please see here.
Fees
| Description | Costs |
|---|---|
| Course Fee | £430.00 |
Module code: O26P854PLZ
Please use the ‘Book now’ button on this page. Alternatively, please complete an enrolment form.