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The YOUTH COP is a free-of-charge, entirely virtual, three-day mock negotiation of the UNFCCC Conference of the Parties (COP) open to students from all over the world. The aim is to train the new generation of climate negotiators, with a specific focus on university students from the Global South, least-developed countries, and small islands. 

The mock negotiation will take place in September 2024. The best-ranked team in the competition and the delegate awarded as best speaker will be sponsored to attend and present a panel – together with the YOUTH COP committee – the COP 29 in Baku, Azerbaijan. All expenses will be covered (flight tickets from and to their country of residence, accommodation, and a per diem for general expenses) for a period, in November 2024, to be determined.

We invite teams of two students (undergrad, master, or PhD degree) from the same university to apply as participants by July 21st via the application form available at https://gogreen.sorbonne.ae/suad-youth-cop-registration/.

You can check a project brief of last year’s YOUTH COP attached to this e-mail, and stay updated with our progress and activities by following our social media accounts: @suadyouthcop on Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn, as well as visiting our website: https://gogreen.sorbonne.ae/activities/suad-youth-cop-2024/.

CEQ unexpectedly has an additional summer clerkship spot. Time is of the essence.

CEQ seeks highly motivated 2Ls, 3Ls, and recent graduates for full-time (preferred) or part-time fall, spring, and summer legal clerkships in CEQ’s Office of the General Counsel. Clerks provide critical research and writing assistance to both legal and policy staff on a variety of matters pertinent to CEQ’s functions. Through CEQ’s participation in policy processes across the Federal Government, clerks have the opportunity to perform diverse substantive legal work, which may include drafting memoranda on environmental, energy, natural resources, infrastructure, and general law issues; contributing to efforts to ensure that CEQ and the Federal Government meaningfully consult with Tribal Nations on issues affecting them; tracking Federal agency actions on environmental and infrastructure issues; attending interagency working group meetings; and assisting with responses to Freedom of Information Act requests and other inquiries regarding CEQ’s activities. They may also help advise CEQ’s policy teams on legal issues; analyze recent case law; and analyze significant draft regulations through CEQ’s participation in the interagency regulatory review process under Executive Order 12866.

Program Requirements: Applicants must be highly motivated, willing to contribute where needed, and able to exercise professional judgment and maturity. In addition, applicants must be U.S. citizens. Although there are no specific course prerequisites, CEQ generally prefers applicants who have completed courses in environmental or natural resources law, administrative law, or statutory interpretation, and whose work, volunteer, and other experience demonstrates a commitment to environment, energy, or natural resources issues. CEQ will work with students who seek school credit for their uncompensated service. Note: The White House has a zero-tolerance policy for drug use. Law clerks must take a drug test prior to beginning the clerkship. Failure to pass the drug test will result in immediate disqualification.

See the CEQ internship webpage for more information.

Miami Law is hiring an Environmental & Climate Law Fellow. It is a one-year position with the potential to renew for a second year. The ideal candidate will have some experience in environmental law and/or policy and an interest in both research and teaching. The fellow will co-teach a UN Climate Negotiations class (guiding a UM delegation to COP 29 for example), develop symposia, advise students, and related duties – but still leaving time for research and potentially developing a seminar in their second year. The position is anticipated to begin August 1, 2024, but there is some room for negotiation. This position is in-person on the beautiful Coral Gables campus.

Applications must be submitted through an online application portal.

Here’s a fellowship that might be of interest to current or former students: the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has just announced the host institutions and project descriptions for the 2024/2024 Clean Energy Innovators Fellowship (https://orise.orau.gov/CEIF/hosts/default.html). The application period is open now until May 3rd.  

The fellowship sponsors individuals to work full-time for 1-2 years at Public Utility Commissions and State Energy Offices across the country to advance power system resilience and accelerate affordable clean energy opportunities.

If applicants have any questions, they can contact the CEIF Program at CEIF@ee.doe.gov.

There is a fellowship opportunity with the Michigan Public Service Commissioner (PSC) funded by the NYU School of Law Energy and Environmental Impact Center. The work of the PSC takes place in a rapidly evolving energy landscape, with an emphasis on mitigating and adapting to climate change, while maintaining reliable, safe, and affordable energy supplies.  The Fellow will work with a team of advisors on reviewing initial implementation cases pertaining to new clean energy laws; developing position party summaries; reviewing utility rate cases, transmission line cases, or pipeline siting cases.  

The fellowship sponsors recent masters or law schools graduates from across the country to work full-time for 2 years at Public Utility Commissions across the country to advance power system resilience and accelerate affordable clean energy opportunities. Here is a link to the job description with details on how to apply: https://stateimpactcenter.org/about/fellows-program/apply-to-be-a-state-commission-fellow

If applicants have any questions or if they would like to discuss this opportunity further, they can reach out to Jessica Bell (jessica.bell@nyu.edu).  

UC Davis School of Law is seeking applications for the Aoki Water Justice Clinic Fellow position starting in August 2024. The Aoki Water Justice Clinic Fellowship permits one Fellow to spend one year in residence working with the Aoki Water Justice Clinic. The Clinic partners with community organizations and drinking water systems to redress current failures in the provision of safe drinking water throughout rural California. The Clinic uses transactional legal tools as well as administrative and policy advocacy to remove the structural and financial barriers that limit low-income Californians’ access to clean and affordable drinking water.

The application period for the Fellowship closes on Monday, April 15.  Here is the direct link to apply for the position:

https://careerspub.universityofcalifornia.edu/psp/ucdavis/EMPLOYEE/HRMS/c/HRS_HRAM.HRS_APP_SCHJOB.GBL?Page=HRS_APP_JBPST&Action=U&FOCUS=Applicant&SiteId=7&JobOpeningId=66768&PostingSeq=1

The Center for Water Policy at the Univ of Wisconsin is currently searching for the next cohort of recent law graduates to join our Center for the upcoming academic year as UW Sea Grant Water Science-Policy Fellows.  The deadline for applications is April 7th.  The full position description is here: Water Policy Specialist 2024-2025.  

Pace | Haub Environmental Law is seeking applications for the 2024-2025 Sustainable Business Law Graduate Fellow position. This role offers an exceptional opportunity for law students to work part-time in the Sustainable Business Law Hub and the Pace Environmental Law Program while pursuing an LLM in Environmental Law.

This fellowship offers invaluable hands-on experience in sustainable business practices and provides opportunities to address global sustainability challenges. The Fellow will actively contribute to the Sustainable Business Law Hub’s mission, assisting with legal research, grant proposals, conferences, meetings, and publications. Additionally, they will serve as a liaison to law school student organizations with an environmental focus, engage with prospective students, and participate in new program initiatives.

For further information, visit this link.

… to help draft the National Environmental Moot Court Competition problem. The fellow would be an LLM student and also be compensated, and would work on environmental law research and projects, including researching and drafting the moot court problem and bench memo. The listing is below. Note that you will have to look for the “Environmental LLM Graduate Fellow” application.

https://secure6.saashr.com/ta/6000630.careers?CareersSearch=

The Texas Tech Center for Water Law and Policy is still looking to hire a recent law school graduate for a research fellowship to work on a multi-year NSF grant. Although the position is in the law school, the work will support the Center for Advancing Sustainable and Distributed Fertilizer Production (CASFER). CASFER seeks to create a nitrogen circular economy by using waste from concentrated animal feed lots (CAFOs) and wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs), convert the waste to agricultural fertilizer, sell to the end user, and then capture farm runoff.  This is a multidisplinary grant with four partner institutions.  The fellow will work with other disciplines as they develop technologies and conduct a legal and policy analysis of current practices for waste management and disposal at CAFOs and WWTPs, and those proposed by CASFER scientists to identify regulatory or financial obstacles at the federal, state, and local levels by reviewing relevant laws, regulations, and policies. Fellowship includes multiple publication opportunities in both law reviews and journals from other disciplines.

This is a one-year fellowship, but there is the possibility for an extension. The posting and application link can be found here.   Applicants do not need to relocate for position.