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Unit of study_

CLAW6035: Climate Change, Business and Regulation

The relationship between the natural environment and business practice is deep and complex, and a multiplicity of regulatory initiatives have been employed in an attempt to manage and influence their interaction. Climate change is set to reshape the global economy and business professionals will require a deep understanding of the natural and regulatory constraints which might impact their business endeavours as entrepreneurs, managers of corporate wealth, and/or their professional advisors. This unit of study aims to provide a deeper understanding of the phenomenon of climate change, among other environmental concerns and planetary boundaries, and their intersection with business activity. It begins with an analysis of the institutional framework surrounding the interaction of business and the environment, introducing major stakeholders in the development of environmental and business regulation (including nation states, international organisations with special reference to the United Nations and its Sustainable Development Goals, and other non-state actors). It then discusses international environmental regulation and the Paris Agreement on Climate Change, before considering the Australian response. The effectiveness of different regulatory styles in this sphere is analysed, together with the argument that businesses can and should take ownership of problematic elements of their interactions with the natural environment. Different strategies developed to 'manage' a business' relationship with the environment and issues surrounding liability for environmental damage are also considered.

Code CLAW6035
Academic unit
Credit points 6
Prerequisites:
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None
Corequisites:
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None
Prohibitions:
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None

At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:

  • LO1. Identify, analyse and assess business law issues in given fact situations and real-world contexts.
  • LO2. Resolve legal problems by applying relevant law, evaluating appropriate solutions to legal problems, synthesizing information and developing arguments to support conclusions.
  • LO3. Demonstrate legal research skills by locating and selecting relevant sources using libraries, the web and other online research facilities.
  • LO4. Manage, analyse, evaluate and use legal materials and information.
  • LO5. Communicate to a professional standard using prescribed legal citation and referencing to directly support your analysis and conclusions.
  • LO6. Interact with people from diverse cultural backgrounds with inclusiveness, open-mindedness and integrity and work within group environments.
  • LO7. Apply ethical and professional approaches to your conduct both within and beyond the classroom

Unit outlines

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