Why Climate Change & Environmental Law?
The world is facing an unprecedented environmental crisis driven by unsustainable ways of life that exceed the Earth’s capacity to regenerate. Climate change affects everyone, regardless of borders or backgrounds. Addressing this shared challenge requires laws, policies, and collective action rooted in justice, interdependence, and compassion. This program is designed to develop global climate leaders and strengthen collaborative responses to the urgent threats of climate change and environmental degradation.
The Carbon-Negative Frontier: Advancing Global Climate Law
The Vision: A Call for Justice
“It is not enough to treat each other with respect; we must also respect the natural environment and learn to live in harmony with nature.”
The world is currently in crisis. Our demand on natural resources far exceeds the Earth’s capacity to regenerate, driven by anthropocentric and materialist lifestyles that are fundamentally unsustainable. This global environmental change impacts everyone, regardless of origin.
However, as a global community, we can achieve an equitable and sustainable world—provided our laws, policies, and actions reflect our shared values of justice, interdependence, and compassion. This program was conceived to train global climate leaders to identify these existential threats and resolve them through collaborative, legal, and collective action.
The Venue: Bhutan as a Living Laboratory
Undertaking your LLM or MLS in Climate Change and Environmental Law at JSW School of Law offers a unique vantage point. Bhutan is one of the few carbon-negative countries in the world, home to a staggering diversity of flora and fauna.
While Bhutan is no longer an isolated community and developmental changes are underway, it serves as a global laboratory. Here, students study how carbon negativity is achieved through distinctive methodologies and philosophies, specifically the framework of Gross National Happiness (GNH)—the country’s constitutional guiding policy.
Curriculum & Outcome
This dynamic program offers students new tools of engagement and a deeper understanding of how development can be reimagined. Our curriculum is designed within an international framework, ensuring that Bhutan’s unique insights are situated within a global context.
Training leaders for collective global environmental action.
Step into the world’s only carbon-negative laboratory. Master the legal tools to protect our shared future and transform your passion into global leadership.
Learn About Our Scholarship Aid
Karuna Foundation Scholarships
Two Scholarships for students from countries with active Karuna Foundation programs
Government of India
Two scholarships offered by the Government of India, exclusively for Indian nationals.
Hindu Kush Scholarship
Two scholarships are available for applicants from these eight countries (Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Myanmar, Nepal, and Pakistan). Recipients must complete either a research thesis or a six-month internship.
Eligibility Criteria
To be eligible for the scholarship, a student must be:
a citizen from Bhutan or India, and
admitted to the LL.M./MLS Graduate Program at JSW School of Law in the first admission round.
The selection will be based on:
– financial need
– the academic standing
– commitment to environmental protection
Terms
The scholarship may not be offered in a given year and will be awarded only if there is a highly qualified applicant.
The scholarship must be used in the year it is awarded.
The scholarship must be used to enroll and complete the LLM/MLS Program in Climate Change and Environmental Law at JSW School of Law.
What is the value of the Scholarship
The value of each Scholarship is $25,000 US.
There are 4 scholarships.
2 for applicants from the following eight countries:
Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Myanmar, Nepal, and Pakistan.
– 2 for Bhutanese Nationals
– 2 for Indian Nationals
– 2 for applicants from the following eight countries: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Myanmar, Nepal, and Pakistan.
Tuition Assistance
Tuition Assistance: Four Tuition Assistance are available.
Eligibility Criteria: Open to all applicants
Terms: This tuition assistance will be applied directly toward tuition costs.
What is the value of the Tuition Assistance: Each tuition assistance is valued at $10,000.
Duration: 1 Year
Languages: English
Pace: Full Time
Fees for International Students (Tuition, room and Board): $25,000 USD
Fees for Bhutanese National (Tuition, room and Board): $15,000 USD
Study Format: On-Campus
Program Pathways
Choose the path that fits your future. From rigorous academic coursework and specialized research to real-world advocacy in our Environmental Law Clinic, our curriculum is designed to transform students into impactful climate leaders.
Coursework
This 10-month program consists of eight mandatory courses. While most modules utilize written assessments, students will also be evaluated through dynamic presentations, seminar participation, and immersive outside-classroom activities.
Research Thesis
this component is available to students who wish to undertake a research thesis. Supervision will be provided during the time spent researching and writing the thesis and this path can be pursued in country or virtually abroad; students will have up to a year to complete their research paper.
Environmental Law Clinic
Participate in six months of clinical study to engage in the practice of environmental lawyering. Students provide vital legal assistance to NGOs, community groups, and government agencies, mastering the complexities of law in a supervised, real-world setting.
Our students come from all over the world and are a mix of those just finishing their undergraduate law degrees, practicing lawyers who want to learn about environmental law, environmental lawyers wanting to deepen their knowledge, plus those who have been working for government, in CSOs, and for businesses. One of the best things about this Program is the diversity of our student body, who bring with them their respective experiences and different forms of expertise.