{"id":1783,"date":"2020-04-23T08:56:08","date_gmt":"2020-04-23T08:56:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/jgu.edu.in\/blog\/?p=1783"},"modified":"2020-04-24T12:06:57","modified_gmt":"2020-04-24T12:06:57","slug":"interview-with-ms-moulika-arabhi-wwf-india-on-llm-environmental-law-energy-climate-change","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jgu.edu.in\/blog\/2020\/04\/23\/interview-with-ms-moulika-arabhi-wwf-india-on-llm-environmental-law-energy-climate-change\/","title":{"rendered":"Interview with Ms. Moulika Arabhi, WWF India on LLM Environmental Law, Energy, & Climate Change"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\u201cThere are only a handful of environmental lawyers in India today, and we definitely need more.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Be the \u2018Enviro-Legal Expert\u2019 the world needs\u2014apply now for an LL.M. in Environmental Law, Energy & Climate Change<\/em><\/strong><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Environmental challenges are rapidly rising. From sinking coastlines to smoggy skies and shrinking forests, the world is witness to the brutality of environmental negligence and devastating effects of climate change. The Centre for Environmental Law, World Wide Fund for Nature India, in association with Centre for Post Graduate Legal Studies, Jindal Global Law School, 91̽»¨ offers a one-year LL.M. in Environmental Law, Energy & Climate Change to equip a capable, committed, conscious young generation of lawyers to tackle environmental issues. JGU speaks with Ms. Moulika Arabhi, Advisor, CEL, WWF India<\/strong> about the programme and its unique opportunities. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Q. Combining aspects of environmental law, energy and climate change with legal expertise from a premier law school, JGLS, and field-based expertise from a premier conservation organisation, WWF India, makes this LL.M. truly one-of-a-kind. How did it come to be?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

For WWF India, the dissemination of knowledge around conservation and environmental protection is a key focus area of our work. So we were already thinking about a course. Parallelly, JGU wanted to incorporate a practical, field-based approach to legal training in these areas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So this programme is not just about environmental law, but the connected factors of energy and climate change which are emerging topics. We need to understand these to get a holistic perspective on the current scenario and that of the future, for newer laws to come into place. Climate change in India doesn\u2019t have any laws yet. So far it\u2019s one policy here and there, or it\u2019s just mentioned in action plans. Everyone talks about climate change but not how climate change can be addressed within existing environmental laws. People will talk about energy demands or energy access, but not about how laws support that energy access.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So in our initial talks with JGU, we always discussed the idea of a course which brings in all these aspects together. We also spoke to professionals, mainly lawyers, and they were also looking for something that would give them a holistic idea. We want to really train people as environmental lawyers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Ms. Moulika Arabhi, WWF-India and Professor Sridhar Patnaik, JGU delivering the orientation lecture at Jindal Global Educational & Professional Academy, NTH Building, Qutub Institutional Area, Delhi<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Q. Are there enough environmental lawyers in India?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

There\u2019s only a handful of environmental lawyers in India today. There may be not more than 10\u2014that too only after the National Green Tribunal started addressing environmental cases since 2010. And if you consider those whose only focus is environment, then there are not more than four or five.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So this is a huge gap.<\/s><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Though these days, many law firms have specialists who deals with environmental clearance matters. So there will be lawyers looking at environmental law as maybe 25% of their work, not 100%. We need to convert that 25% into 100%. The only way is to build that capacity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Q. How strong is environmental law education in India right now to build that capacity? And how does this programme stand out?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are many universities who\u2019ve designed such programmes now. But one of the major challenges in this field\u2014and what we want to overcome\u2014is the qualitative strength and diversity of the faculty. Unless and until you approach these courses with a holistic perspective and have a combination of both academicians and practitioners of various specialised subjects on board, you cannot effectively train students to be enviro-legal experts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The faculty plays a crucial role in such niche courses. These are very specialised areas. So it\u2019s very important to have mentors who understand the subject in that depth. The design and implementation of the course also plays a key role in making such programmes a success.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You also need to take students to the field and look at the real challenges on the ground. Can the laws we’re learning about in the classroom actually be applied on the field? If it has challenges, then how do you find solutions?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Q. So how hands-on is the training? <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

We\u2019ve designed an exclusive 3-credit course called \u2018Implementation of Environmental Laws in India\u2019, which is a field study. Students will spend at least five days in the field and learn various aspects of environmental issues. They will get a chance to speak to many stakeholders including government, civil society, activists and communities who live in that area to understand the real challenges. There are also at least two other field visits to protected areas. The sites we choose are climate vulnerable. This time, the batch was supposed to visit the Sundarbans, but because of COVID-19 we\u2019ve had to postpone it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unless you go out and see what the ground realities are, it\u2019s very difficult to understand the whole picture. No other university offers a course where students get to see both conservation work and on-field implementation. We want to give them that edge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is an experience young people really urge for, but not everyone has access to. We\u2019ve learnt that people are looking for a thorough investigative approach. This is one course that even if students don\u2019t do internships, they get much more experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n