Vorlesung: The Law of Sustainability? Climate, Business and the Multi-Level Legal Order

Die Vorlesung "The Law of Sustainability? Climate, Business and the Multi-Level Legal Order" findet am 28. und 29.01.2027 statt.

This course introduces the legal dimensions of sustainability and examines how international, European, and national legal norms address the challenges of climate change and biodiversity loss. In July 2025, the International Court of Justice ruled that states that violate their climate obligations are committing an act contrary to international law. A year earlier, a group of elderly Swiss women had prevailed against their government before the European Court of Human Rights. Is a distinct “law of sustainability” emerging, or does sustainability remain a principle that permeates established areas of law? This open question is the central theme of this course.

The course examines sustainability within a multi-level system: in international law (the Rio Principles, the 2030 Agenda, the Paris Agreement, and the recent wave of climate-related rulings, as well as in European law (the integration clause, the European Green Deal, and the European Climate Law, as well as due diligence obligations in the supply chain). The role of national legal systems and their courts in this debate is also addressed.

Prof. Dr. Anne Dienelt, maîtr. en droit (Aix-en-Provence)
Universität des Saarlandes
Rechtswissenschaftliche Fakultät

Campus C3 1, Raum 034, 66123 Saarbrücken
ls-dienelt(at)uni-saarland.de
Telefon: +49 681 302-4594
Sprechstunde: Dienstags von 10 - 12 Uhr (während der Vorlesungszeit) sowie nach Vereinbarung