The Initiative on Climate Change Law and Policy is a joint initiative of the International Law and Policy Group of the Law School, University of New South Wales and the Australian Human Rights Centre. The Initiative aims to develop and coordinate inter- and cross-disciplinary collaborative research on legal and policy issues related to climate change. In addition the Initiative provides a framework for the appointment of post-doctoral research fellows and for the recruitment of PhD students.

The Initiative focuses on three distinct but inter-related research components:

• The international legal consequences of disappearing states
• Climate change and international security
• Climate change and Australian diplomacy
• State responsibility for climate change
• Liability and compensation regimes

• The impact of climate change on the right to health
• The emergence of environmental refugees
• Climate change and corporate responsibility

• International and national regulation of adaptation and mitigation responses including carbon capture and storage
• Carbon markets and emissions trading schemes including their legal framework, regulation of statutory and voluntary markets, valuation of carbon businesses/hedge markets, etc
• Harmonisation and inter-operability of national carbon and emissions trading schemes
• Post-Kyoto commitments (for which negotiations commence in Bali in December 2007) Carbon taxes and other taxation aspects
• Regulation of verification and certification schemes
• Impacts on key infrastructure
• Shareholder value
• The insurance sector and carbon risk issues
• Local planning issues
• Trade practices

Additionally, the Initiative provides the opportunity for development of intra- and inter-Faculty courses on aspects of climate change law and policy with Law offering the international and national regulatory and human rights components of the subject.





Durbach, Andrea   (staff home page)
Tel: 9385 2543   Email: a.durbach@unsw.edu.au   Office: 319 Law Building


Rayfuse, Rosemary   (staff home page)
Tel: 9385 2059   Email: r.rayfuse@unsw.edu.au   Office: 318 Law Building