University of Birmingham online LLM teaching lawyers to tackle climate crisis

The University of Birmingham has teamed up with Wiley Education Services (WES) to launch a new online course aimed at equipping the currrent generation of lawyers and legal practitioners with the appropriate tools to fight the mounting global climate crisis.

The new LLM in Energy and Environmental Law will be taught through Birmingham Law School but delivered online with the assistance of WES, a specialised services that works with universities to deliver and tailor online offerings.

The curriculum is aimed at qualified lawyers who are looking to assist in the battle against global climate change and environmental degradation. The university says the course will be useful for participants wherever they are in the world, providing a solid base on which to tackle this growing problem.

“I am incredibly excited by this latest addition to our growing portfolio of online degree programmes,” Director of Insights, Channels and Educational Enterprise for University of Birmingham, Ian Myatt, said in a statement.

“It feels fitting that a course designed to consider such an important worldwide challenge is being delivered on a platform that is truly global.”

As the climate crisis becomes ever-more pressing and the public, along with corporations and governments, are wising up to the harsh realities the world faces in the coming decades, the demand for environmental law professionals is growing.

Given its importance, the partners are expecting it to have global appeal and provide a new cohort of professionals with the essential knowledge to help steer the direction of climate mitigation.

The LLM will take two and a half years to complete and will include six modules: Environmental and energy regulation, Law relating to nuclear energy, Assessment and financing of energy projects, Oil and gas law, Environmental protection and pollution control, and Renewable energy and climate change law. Its first intake is expected in March 2020.

“We’re thrilled to support the launch of a new programme with the University of Birmingham that will create a pipeline of talent in this important space,” said Patrick Griffin, Regional Vice President of International Operations for Wiley.

“The LLM in Energy and Environmental Law squarely meets a market need and does so with a level of quality and breadth that is unmatched in the distance learning space. We’re very excited to welcome students from around the world to this prestigious University and on to a programme that will bolster not only their careers, but their ability to drive positive change in an area of monumental importance.”