ATENEO DE MANILA UNIVERSITY

SCHOOL OF LAW

COURSE SYLLABUS

Course Title: Natural Resources & Instructors:

Environmental Law
No. of Units: 2 Atty. Maria Roda Cisnero
Semester/ SY: 1st Semester SY2019-2020
Department/Track:
Pre-requisites: NA

I. COURSE DESCRIPTION AND OBJECTIVES

Natural Resources and Environmental Law has become an emerging part of nearly every
practice of law. The reason is evident: the environment is all around us and we all depend
upon it. In response, Environmental Law is being developed to resolve (?) the present
generation of environmental issues.

Course Description
This course will introduce students to basic principles of Natural Resources, Environmental
Law(lessness) and Environmental Justice. What is it? How did it evolve? Can it deal with
complex emerging problems such as accumulation of toxics, urban development and climate
crisis?

The course will review the state of the law, with an emphasis on topical issues. Students will
also be asked to consider the ethical foundations for environmental law, and their capability of
addressing today’s challenges.

Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of this course, learners will be able to:

● Identify key environmental issues at the planetary, international, national, state and
local level and corresponding natural resources and environmental law relevant to
the issue.

● Appreciate and analyze the limits of constitutional protections on the environment

and natural resources; and the role of law in relation to government policy,
environmental regulation and law enforcement relating to the climate crisis and the
environment.

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 ● Appreciate bar questions and generate possible legal research topics on
environmental law rights and legal remedies.

● Reflect on

Methodology

☐ case-analysis ☐ individual/group reports and

☐ clinics – apprenticeships, internship,
externships
☐ debates
☐ essay writing
☐ field visits (e.g. court visits,
observations)
☐ film showing, with processing
☐ hypothetical cases- problem solving
☐ inter-disciplinary study/discussions
☐ lecture-recitation
☐ legal writing: brief-making, contract
drafting, etc.
☐ guest lectures, with
dialogues
☐ group/team projects
presentations
☐ mooting
☐ participatory class discussion
☐ practical class exercises:
…………………………
☐ reflection/ meditation
☐ research and interviews
☐ seminars, conference, workshops
☐ simulations/role play (of actual legal
practice)
☐ law teaching/training experience (e.g.
street law)
☐
Others:
☐ Others:
☐ Others:

[Brief description of the methods chosen. Here is an example for those using the standard
Socratic method: The course will employ recitation as the primary method of instruction, to
develop the students’ power of analysis, reasoning, and facility of expression. The students
will be answering a series of questions, based on assigned legal provisions, court decisions and
other readings, to stimulate critical thinking and enhance their communication and
argumentation skills.]

II. COURSE OUTLINE

2
Week/Session Topic
Week 1 Introduction to the Environmental Rights and Legal Remedies
10 Aug

Week 2 Environmental Lawlessness

17 Aug Environmental Law(lessness)
Philippine Environmental Problems in Perspective

REQUIRED:
1) On April 10, 2013, Harvard Law School Professor Richard Lazarus '79
delivered a lecture entitled "Environmental Lawlessness" on the occasion
of his appointment as the Howard and Katherine Aibel Professor of Law.
0:00:00 Introduction by Dean Martha Minow
0:13:15 Lecture by Prof. Lazarus
Video Environmental Lawlessness

Additional Readings:

Week 3 Memo No. 2019-029-S Suspension of Classes (August 24, 2019)

24 Aug

Week 4 Hardin, G., 1968. The Tragedy of the Commons. science, 162(3859),
31 Aug pp.1243-1248.

Complimentary Video: Is it possible that overfishing, super germs, and

global warming are all caused by the same thing? In 1968, a man named
Garrett Hardin sat down to write an essay about overpopulation. Within
it, he discovered a pattern of human behavior that explains some of
history’s biggest problems. Nicholas Amendolare describes the tragedy of
the commons.

Lesson by Nicholas Amendolare, directed by TED-Ed. Tragedy of the

Commons

PRE-REQ
On April 10, 2013, Harvard Law School Professor Richard Lazarus '79
delivered a lecture entitled "Environmental Lawlessness" on the occasion
of his appointment as the Howard and Katherine Aibel Professor of Law.
0:00:00 Introduction by Dean Martha Minow
0:13:15 Lecture by Prof. Lazarus

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 Video Environmental Lawlessness

Week 5 Workshop
7 Sept
Using their preferred topic/environmental legal issue at hand, participants
Make Up Class will learn to use the framework proposed by Lazaruz and Hardin to
up to 1800 hrs examine to 1) outline the legal issues they wish to unpack 2) frame their
term paper/project.

Outline Due 1700 hrs

*Bring Your Own laptop.

Week 6 Trash-talker Duterte on Canada’s Rubbish
14 Sept -Basurang itinapon mo, Babalik rin sayo

Basel Convention & Affiliated Institutions

Week 7 Trash-talker Duterte on Canada’s Rubbish

21 Sept -Basurang itinapon mo, Babalik rin sayo

Reporting: Basel Convention & Affiliated Institutions

Week 8 Environmental Lawlessness

28 Sept Environmental Law(lessness)
Philippine Environmental Problems in Perspective

REQUIRED:
1) On April 10, 2013, Harvard Law School Professor Richard Lazarus '79
delivered a lecture entitled "Environmental Lawlessness" on the occasion
of his appointment as the Howard and Katherine Aibel Professor of Law.
0:00:00 Introduction by Dean Martha Minow
0:13:15 Lecture by Prof. Lazarus
Video Environmental Lawlessness

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Week 9 Mid-terms
5 Oct Updated research in progress deadline moves from 19 October to 26
October 2019

Week 10 Offsite and online coursework on Introduction to Environmental

12 Oct Governance

Registrations are open for a three hour self-paced course which explains how
international environmental agreements and policies are made, by whom, and
how they are complied with, and enforced. Participants will also gain a greater
understanding of the strengths and weakness of existing environmental
governance regimes.

All stakeholders interested in learning about the main aspects of environmental

governance regimes, as well as the principal actors involved and the reforms
needed, can benefit from this course which is a collaborative effort between
UNITAR and UN Environment. Participants successfully completing the course
will receive certificate jointly issued by UNITAR and UN Environment.

InforMEA is the UN Information Portal on Multilateral Environmental

Agreements which offers access to treaty texts, decisions and resolutions
adopted by Governing Bodies, country reports, national implementation plans
and several other documents. The platform also provides over 20 free online
courses on MEAs and environmental law and governance.

Click here to enroll

Submit and upload (respective folders) the screenshots of the following:

1. Certificate of Completion
2. Results ONLINE QUIZ
3. Submit and Upload here (FILE 1: LASTNAME_QUIZ; FILE 2:
LASTNAME_CERT)

Extended deadline: Or or before 31 October 2019

2300 hrs

Week 11 [REQUIRED VIDEO]

19 Oct 16 children, including Greta Thunberg, file landmark climate complaint to UN

[REQUIRED READING]

COMMUNICATION TO THE
COMMITTEE ON THE RIGHTS OF THE CHILD

In the case of
CHIARA SACCHI (Argentina); CATARINA LORENZO (Brazil); IRIS
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 DUQUESNE (France); RAINA IVANOVA (Germany); RIDHIMA
PANDEY (India); DAVID ACKLEY, III, RANTON ANJAIN, AND
LITOKNE KABUA (Marshall Islands); DEBORAH ADEGBILE
(Nigeria); CARLOS MANUEL (Palau); AYAKHA MELITHAFA (South
Africa); GRETA THUNBERG (Sweden); RASLEN JBEILI (Tunisia); &
CARL SMITH AND ALEXANDRIA VILLASEÑOR (USA);
Petitioners,

V.

ARGENTINA, BRAZIL, FRANCE, GERMANY & TURKEY,

Respondents. Submitted under Article 5 of the Third Optional Protocol to
the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child

*Case Build Up Exercise: Using domestic legal remedies - determine and

outline remedies for the next generation of children.

Week 11 Part 2 due Oct 19. Worth 10%. Each student will individually provide a
26 Oct briefing note with Frequently Asked Questions

Using their preferred topic/environmental legal issue at hand, participants

will learn to use the framework proposed by Lazaruz and Hardin to
examine to 1) outline the legal issues they wish to unpack 2) frame their
term paper/project.

Updated Sentence Outline or 500-700 word concept noted due 1700 hrs

2 November Climate Crisis and Environmental Remedies 2

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IV. COURSE REQUIREMENTS AND GRADING SYSTEM
[Describe the course requirements on which the student will be assessed/evaluated and that
will be factored into the final grades, and their weights. These are statements of what the
students are “required to do” as evidence of the learning outcomes. Consider what
assessment methods are best to determine whether the student has achieved the competencies
or learning outcomes described in section I above. The course requirements should also be
consistent with the instruction methods identified in section I
Course Grade Breakdown Description
Requirements

Paper Essay 50% 1. Part 1 due Septempber 7, 2019. Worth 10%.

Each student will individually outline
topic/issue and research/bibliography

2. Part 2 due Oct 19. Worth 10%. Each student

will individually provide a briefing note with
Frequently Asked Questions

3. Part 3 due Nov 30 (date to be confirmed

with me by Oct 20). Worth 30% %

Group Work Group Presentation Group presentation of environmental law issue

Class Participation 50% to class with chance for questions. Each group
will submit a written outline of their
presentation at least three days in advance.

Boracay
Canada – Philippines
Writ of Kalikasan: West Philippines Sea

V. COURSE POLICIES

VI.CONTACT AND OTHER INFORMATION

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Note: If there is any information in your syllabus that is subject to change (e.g. additional
reading materials and assignments, etc.), you should note that in the appropriate place(s). For
example, “The professor reserves the option of amending the reading list and assignments as
exigencies warrant.”]