2024 Earth Law Summer Course

It’s time to align our laws with Nature’s laws.

Join a passionate global community elevating Earth Law to new heights. Gain insight from Earth lawyers and ecocentric experts. Connect with a diverse network of Earth advocates dedicated to making a real difference on a global scale. Take action today and be a catalyst for positive change in the legal landscape.

Please join us for our 2024 Earth Law summer course. On April 22, Earth Day, we will open registration for our fourth summer class cohort. It will be limited to 200 participants. It will be presented in 12 two-hour modules that can be accessed synchronously or asynchronously. The course will be based on Earth Law: Emerging Ecocentric Law - A Guide for Practitioners. For participants not versed in reading law (judicial opinions, legislation, treaties and the like) there will be ample supplemental reading and viewing materials that bring life to the law and bring Earth law to life.

Applications will be considered on a rolling basis beginning on April 22. If you are interested, please submit this form.

Participants will: 

  • Develop an understanding of why Earth Law has emerged in response to the failures of modern environmental law and the need for a new approach to tackle current environmental challenges.

  • Identify key challenges in establishing a new ecocentric social contract and propose creative solutions that incorporate ethical considerations, values, and the rights of Nature.

  • Evaluate legal strategies in emerging cases from around the world that demonstrate the effectiveness of Earth Law principles in addressing environmental issues and promoting sustainability.

  • Explore the growing areas of ecocentric governance and integrative lawyering as practical approaches to address complex environmental problems through interdisciplinary collaboration.

  • Envision the future of Earth Law education and practice, including career opportunities and strategies for integrating Earth Law principles into legal education and professional practice for a sustainable future.


Note about reading law: Whether constitutional, statutory, case law or in other forms, reading law is challenging even for those trained in the discipline. There is no need to fight one’s way through it. Although the coursebook includes cases, statutes and constitutional law, the sections surrounding the source material synthesize and contemporize the legal texts.

Earth Law Community and Affinity Groups: Upon registration, participants will be given access to an Earth law online community and will be assigned to one of the geographic affinity groups - India, Africa, LatAm, U.S. and Canada, EU and UK. Participants will have the opportunity to change groups or opt out and to create subject matter affinity groups. These fora will provide the opportunity to engage on matters developed in the class as well as matters participants may introduce. ELC will provide facilitators to engage and manage the interaction.