Alaska Native and Environmental Law Class
May 31 - July 26, 2012
Alaska's Legal History and the Laws of Subsistence and Climate Change
(4 credit hours)
Professors Stephanie M. Nichols and Sam Kalen
This course examines the laws governing Alaska's legal history, subsistence and climate change specific to Alaska. Alaska has a unique history, and Congress has spent considerable time drafting and debating complicated issues that impact Alaska differently than any other state in the country. Each of these issues has a relation back to the land and Alaska's many precious resources. These resources range from fossil fuels, to minerals and wildlife, and is home to unique species and a very fragile ecosystem. In many of these respects, therefore, it is different from much of the rest of the United States. This difference makes it one of the epicenters of the debate surrounding the effects of increased greenhouse gas emissions.
The first part of the course will explore the background of Alaska's legal history, including pertinent federal and state laws and statutes, the Alaska National Interest Land Conservation Act (ANILCA), and the laws and cases that influence subsistence. The second part of the course will build from these principles and examine laws and litigation relevant to climate change and its impact on the state of Alaska. Alaska is one of the first places in the United States, for instance, where residents are being forced to relocate because of rising sea levels, a product of changing climatic conditions. Yet, conversely, as the home of large quantities of fossil fuels, the state relies on fossil fuel development to fund its treasury. The second part of the course will explore how these two realities intersect, particularly in Alaska, and how the State is approaching balancing the need to maintain its economy with the effects of climate change.
The class will be held Monday through Thursday, beginning Thursday, May 31 to July 26 on the University of Alaska Anchorage campus. Class will be held from 5:30 - 7:30 p.m.
