Climate Change Literacy Within The New Zealand Law Curriculum

This project considers how climate change literacy could be incorporated into core legal subjects taught in New Zealand Law Schools.

About the project

This project considers how climate change literacy could be incorporated into core legal subjects taught in New Zealand Law Schools.  This project is not concerned with whether Law Schools should offer stand-alone environmental or climate law papers.  Climate change is multi-sectoral, pervasive and engages almost every kind of law.  Accordingly, this project addresses how climate change law can infuse existing core subjects to educate the lawyers of tomorrow.  At present, accommodating climate change issues into core curricula depends on individual legal academics understanding why and how to accommodate climate change considerations in their teaching. The aim of this project is to publish a report explaining the role and importance of climate change considerations within core legal disciplines. Academics teaching core subjects will be able to draw on the legal materials and suggestions included in the report to inform their teaching.  As a result, educators, law students, and ultimately the general public will benefit by being able to access a profession well-versed in how climate change impacts the law and vice versa.

Grant amount

$8,442 for work in 2022-2023

About the researchers 

This project is co-led by Professor Ceri Warnock (https://www.otago.ac.nz/law/staff/ceri_warnock.html), Professor Nicola Wheen (https://www.otago.ac.nz/law/staff/nicola_wheen.html), and Dr Dawn Duncan (https://www.otago.ac.nz/law/staff/otago734398.html) from the Faculty of Law at the University of Otago.

All three academics have many years of teaching and research experience that encompasses social justice and environmental law.

Contact

Ceri Warnock, Professor of Law, University of Otago

https://www.otago.ac.nz/law/staff/ceri_warnock.html