Student Environmental Law Conference

Law students from Swansea University attended the annual Environmental Law Student Conference with their lecturer Victoria Jenkins. The event, which took place on Wednesday 14th March, was hosted by the University of the West of England in Bristol.

Now in its fourth year, the Environmental Law Student Conference provides students with an opportunity to present on topics featured in their studies and from wider reading. The conference also provides the opportunity to socialise and share ideas with students from different law schools.

The event was divided into three panels, namely: ‘Human Rights and the Environment’, ‘Climate Change Law and Renewable Energy’ and ‘Trade, Technology and the Future’.

Law students from UWE and Cardiff University gave presentations on a range of topics including, access to water in Israeli occupied Palestinian territories, the need for supranational governance and, the legal implication of and alternative to Hollywood post-apocalyptic backdrops.

Tom Stephens, a Legal Practice Course student from Swansea University chaired the panel on Climate Change Law and Renewable Energy. Tom said: “The experience gave me an opportunity to hear and consider a variety of topics from within Environmental Law”. He added, “It also gave me a chance to practice public speaking”.

Those who participated were entered into a competition for the best presentation organised by the United Kingdom Environmental Law Associaton (UKELA), Wales Working Party. The presentations are to be judged by members of UKELA WWP who are legal professionals from Cardiff-based chambers and law firms. The winner will be granted a year’s free membership of this organisation.

Thomas Neill, a final year LLB student at Swansea University, said: “I found the conference really enjoyable, there were a high quality and varied set of presentations which lead to some really interesting debates. It was also good to be able to network with students from other law schools and hear their thoughts on the issues facing environmental law and enforcement. I found it refreshing to have a wider discussion on environmental law rather than focusing on the issues relevant to my own course.”

Tobechukwu Kanayo Okonkwo, another final year LLB student who attended, said: “My time at the Environmental Conference was an enlightening experience. It allowed me to meet likeminded people and open my mind to different perspectives concerning the environment.”

Student Environmental Law Conference