General Information

Venue: Cádiz

Dates: September 14-18

Duration: 40h (30h hours in person)

Field of Knowledge: Law

Number of places: 25

Course Coordinator: Olena Nihreieva

Coordinator’s email: olena.nihreieva@uca.es

Language: English

ECTS recognition is requested: 1 credit ECTS

Target Audience: Students and PDI

Course Description

One of the main collective interests of the international community and the primary purposes of modern  international law is the protection of the environment, which is cross-cutting for the Sustainable  Development Goals of the 2030 Agenda. Being indispensable to the survival of humanity, the environment, as a global public good, has suffered serious damage, primarily as a result of economic activities. Nowadays,  effective national environmental legislation can be found in many countries. However, such protection  remains fragmented that diminishes the overall effectiveness of the protection of the environment as a  whole. Additionally, protection granted to the environment in peacetime is often absent during wartime  that underminesthe efforts made previously at the national level or in neighboring countries. In this regard, legal professionals and practitioners from other fields need a deep understanding and solid knowledge of  law governing the protection of the environment at the international and EU levels in both peace and  wartime. This includes the rules on the conduct of hostilities that aim to protect the environment as well as  environmental human rights that may be violated in this context. Finally, from the practical perspective, it  might be important to gain knowledge about the mechanisms of compensation for environmental harm  that can help ensure accountability and bring transgressors to justice. This knowledge will be useful for  scholars, practitioners and other members of civil society. 

The course provides detailed information on the rules and doctrine of several key branches of public  international law, namely: international environmental law, international humanitarian law, the law of the  sea, and EU environmental law. Theoretical studies of the above issues are combined with their practical  analysis through case-studies activities dedicated to several armed conflicts, among which the current situations in Ukraine, Palestine and Western Sahara are the most relevant since they affect the international  order as a whole. It is worth mentioning that the proposed programme is innovative due to the lack of  scientific and mass-media attention to the issues of environmental harm in these conflicts, particularly, in  Western Sahara. Thus, the introduction of the course will hopefully attract more attention to this problem.  

The course offers a comprehensive legal analysis of the above situations and provides a solid foundation for  a legal assessment of these events. It will be useful for anyone who follows recent events in international  relations and seeks to understand them from a legal perspective. 

Course Objectives

At the end of the course students will be able to assess, both holistically and in context, the main rules and  doctrines of public international law relating to the protection of the environment and human rights in  peacetime and the rules of international humanitarian law applicable to the protection of the environment  in wartime. Due to its specificity and its relevance for Spain and other European states, the protection of  the marine environment will be considered separately. The normative framework will be completed by  focusing on the EU environmental legal regulation shaping national policies in EU Member States. Special  attention will be paid to case studies on environmental protection in Palestine, Ukraine, and Western Sahara  facing the extreme pressure of ongoing armed conflicts. Students will also develop the necessary tools to  reflect critically on some of the most important problems and tensions that define the contemporary  condition of the environment globally in order to outline possible solutions. 

In the case of successful completion of this course students will be able to:  

• Use relevant knowledge for the well-founded argumentation of their legal positions;  2. develop independent research, analyzing diverse sources of information;  
• Engage in critical debate; 
• Undertake appropriate further training in the field.  

The course is also aimed at improving the professional Legal English skills of participants.

Participant requirements

The course is aimed at Law Faculties students (all levels), academics and legal professionals. It is open to  students and professionals from other areas for which the knowledge of international law is relevant. We  welcome applications from learners who are confident in understanding and following discussions  presented in written and spoken English.

Course Programme

Monday, September 14th – International environmental law as a main tool of environmental protection at the global level (6h)

Tuesday, September 15th – European environmental law and the law of the sea with a special focus on the marine  environment (6h)

Wednesday, September 16th – The environment in warfare: is there room for protection under international humanitarian  law? (6h)

Thursday, September 17th – The mechanisms of compensation for environmental damage (6h)

Friday, September 18th – Environmental protection and management in times of crisis: a look into the future (6h)

Assessment

The evaluation of this course comprises two different components: 

• Attendance and active participation in in-person sessions. This component is worth 80% of the course’s  final grade (attendance – 35%; case studies – 45 %).  
• An essay. This component is worth 20% of the course’s final grade. 

You are required to submit an essay of 1 000 words in length (footnotes included), no later than 2pm on  Monday, 5 October 2026. Some guiding essay topics will be provided later.

Teaching Staff

This course is supported and sponsored by:

Grupo de Investigación SEJ-572 “Centro de Estudios Internacionales y Europeos del Área del  Estrecho”–CINTERGIB; 

Proyecto de I+D+i PID2023-149810NB-I00 (GEOESTRECHO), financiado por MICIU/AEI/10.13039/501100011033/ y por FEDER, UE. IP Dra. Inmaculada González

For any questions, please contact the coordinator of this course: Olena Nihreieva (olena.nihreieva@uca.es).