King's Updates Property Law Module with Sustainability

Driving forward the pace of research, education and action to enable societal transition to environmental sustainability is a key university-wide priority. The Law School has taken this responsibility to heart by, amongst other initiatives, establishing The Centre for Climate Law & Governance in 2019 to foster interdisciplinary research about legal and governance approaches to the disruptive challenges of climate change and sustainability in the Global North and South.

Dr Yael Lifshitz, Senior Lecturer in Property Law, is a key member of the Centre and the convenor of Property Law. She and the Property team have worked to embed sustainability within the undergraduate module 'The Law of Property.' This innovative move forms part of wider plans led by the Centre to introduce themes around climate and sustainability into all core modules within the law curricula, in alignment with the wider university-led priorities.

Property law is one of the core curricular areas of the Law School, and an area which has immediate and concrete impacts on all our lives. The module embeds concerns regarding sustainability, and social and economic concerns, at the heart of the learning. Beyond the traditional subjects that are covered in the Property module, students are also exposed to timely and impactful issues such as control over environmental resources, homelessness and vulnerability. Including concerns such as climate change and potential homelessness brings sustainability to the forefront.

Some of the key learning outcomes of the module are 'to understand and engage with some of the most vexing contemporary problems, including homelessness, urban property and property and the environment' and 'to reflect on the ever-changing and dynamic nature of the field, and the ways in which property law adapts or should adapt to deal with changing social conditions.'

Ownership of wind, water, and carbon are key to resource management and tackling climate change. However, these topics are traditionally not part of the core curriculum. By including these resources in the property module, the syllabus will not only underscore their significance but will potentially allow for innovation in this area as students apply their learning within the broader context of environmental challenges.