Environmental Practice and Justice

Catalog description

This course will examine the legal tools that help bring about environmental justice, highlighting the effectiveness of different tools for different contexts, ranging from water contamination in Flint, Michigan to refineries in Cancer Alley, Louisiana, to the Keystone XL, Dakota Access, and Enbridge pipeline protests and lawsuits. It will explore the causes of, and possible remedies for, environmental racism and injustice. It will consider disparities faced by communities of color, indigenous peoples, low-income groups, and the elderly in access to and control over the environmental requisites for health and well-being, including natural resources, pollution control, and environmental clean-up. The class will synthesize theory and practice through the development of practical advocacy skills.