Environmental Law Program
Introduction
South Florida faces numerous environmental challenges, from sea-level rise and climate change to biodiversity loss and water quality issues. There has never been a greater need for experts trained in environmental law. The Environmental Law Program at FIU College of Law seeks to prepare students to critically engage with these issues in order to meaningfully impact environmental law and policy locally, nationally, and globally. With experts and courses in a wide range of environmental subfields, the Environmental Law Program equips students with the necessary skills and knowledge required to practice in this dynamic and complex area of law. If you are interested in the Initiative, please contact Alex Erwin at jerwin@fiu.edu.
Environmental Law Faculty
Tawia Baidoe Ansah
Professor of Law
Alex Erwin
Assistant Professor of Law
Mario Loyola
Director, Environment, Law, and Economics Initiative
Faculty Activities
As the world focuses on increasingly urgent environmental challenges, there is increasing pressure on policymakers, academics, and the public to devise and improve environmental protections that work well. South Florida is on the front lines of this fight, facing global environmental challenges sooner and bigger than most of the world.
Environmental protection advances many goals and values, from Environmental Justice and Bioethics to natural rights and human prosperity. Virtually all these goals and values can be enriched by a rigorous framework for assessing the impacts – in terms of costs and benefits – of different approaches.
The purpose of the Environment, Law, and Economics (ELE) Initiative is to apply rigorous impact assessment to environmental regulation, protecting our environment while promoting free societies and democratic governance.
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J.D. Students may select between our two available certificate programs.
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FIU Environmental Forum
The annual FIU Environment Forum will be held over two days at the main campus of FIU in Miami, FL on February 22nd - 23rd 2024. All events are held at the FIU College of Law – Courtroom – Rafael Diaz Balart Hall 1000, unless otherwise indicated in this program.
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Dual Degree
The faculties of the College of Law and the College of Arts and Sciences at Florida International University offer a joint degree program culminating in both a Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree, awarded by the College of Law, and a Master of Science in Environmental Studies (MS-ES) degree, awarded by the College of Arts and Sciences. Under the joint degree program, a student can obtain both degrees in significantly less time than it would take to obtain both degrees if pursued consecutively.
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Student Organization
The mission of the Environmental Law Society is to promote excellence in legal education through the environmental curriculum at the Florida International University. Our purpose is to educate, generate awareness, and promote conservation on campus and in the community by coordinating community projects, participating in social activities, and by hosting attorneys and other advocates as guest speakers, as well as addressing current environmental issues. Additionally, we will also generate networks and career opportunities for FIU Law students in environmental law.
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