Students enrolled in this course examined three issues covered in Natural Resources Law & Policy from a comparative perspective, focusing on Cape Town, South Africa, and the region surrounding it.

First, students looked at the water challenges facing Cape Town, including (a) the supply limitations that led the city to warn in 2018 of a “Day Zero” when it would be forced to turn off everyone’s taps and (b) the ongoing water equity issues facing the region’s impoverished townships such as Khayelitsha. Second, students visited with companies and law firms seeking to promote renewable energy projects to discuss the issues that they face. Finally, they met with environmental non-profits to examine South Africa’s efforts to protect wildlife from poaching and other threats. Students also participated in a small, half-day conference with the University of Stellenbosch examining these and related sustainability issues.