Useful links
Unit of study_
LAWS6342: Environmental Markets in Global Context
2026 unit information
Environmental markets, also known as market-based instruments (MBIs), are now central to the governance of climate change, biodiversity loss, water scarcity and natural resource management. This unit adopts a global and comparative perspective to critically examine how MBIs are designed, implemented, and contested across diverse ecological, legal and institutional contexts. These are not free markets, but legally constructed systems that integrate economic incentives with regulatory oversight to influence environmental behaviour. Examples include emissions trading schemes, biodiversity offsets, water entitlements and tradable pollution permits. Focussing on international frameworks (such as Article 6 of the Paris Agreement), regional systems (including the EU Emissions Trading Scheme), and national case studies (such as New Zealand’s fisheries quota regime and biodiversity MBIs in Australia), the unit investigates how MBIs operate in real-world settings and what challenges they face. While often promoted as efficient solutions, MBIs raise complex questions about ecological effectiveness, distributive fairness and legal design. Students will engage critically with legal and economic theory, analyse applied case studies and develop the research and communication skills required to navigate and evaluate environmental markets in a globally interconnected world. Refer to the Sydney Law School timetable - https://canvas.sydney.edu.au/courses/4533/pages/postgraduate-lecture-timetable
Unit details and rules
Managing faculty or University school:
Sydney Law School
| Study level | Postgraduate |
|---|---|
| Academic unit | Law |
| Credit points | 6 |
|
Prerequisites:
?
|
None |
|---|---|
|
Corequisites:
?
|
None |
| Prohibitions:
?
|
None |
| Assumed knowledge:
?
|
None |
At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:
- LO1. Critically analyse how environmental issues are regulated through MBIs and identify the ethical implications and significance of these instruments in environmental law.
- LO2. Critically evaluate the foundational principles of environmental markets and articulate their connection to ecologically sustainable development and their relationship to legal frameworks.
- LO3. Describe to an advanced level the regulatory characteristics of environmental markets and the underpinning considerations for their design ensuring effectiveness and compliance.
- LO4. Examine and differentiate the roles and responsibilities of various stakeholders in the governance and operation of MBIs.
- LO5. Communicate and defend personal perspectives on environmental markets, MBIs, and environmental regulation by employing sound and logically structured legal argument and be prepared to share these with diverse audiences
- LO6. Apply relevant legal research methodologies to investigate environmental markets and/or particular MBIs, appropriately synthesising primary and secondary sources and presenting findings in a balanced and scholarly manner.
Unit availability
This section lists the session, attendance modes and locations the unit is available in. There is a unit outline for each of the unit availabilities, which gives you information about the unit including assessment details and a schedule of weekly activities.
The outline is published 2 weeks before the first day of teaching. You can look at previous outlines for a guide to the details of a unit.
| Session | MoA ? | Location | Outline ? |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Intensive April - May 2026
|
Block mode | Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney |
Outline unavailable
|
There are no availabilities for previous years.
Find your current year census dates
Modes of attendance (MoA)
This refers to the Mode of attendance (MoA) for the unit as it appears when you’re selecting your units in Sydney Student. Find more information about modes of attendance on our website.