Course Overview
Registration fee: €1950 (+22% VAT)
No. participants: 20 (early-career professionals and researchers)
Application deadline: July 2, 2026
Course language: English
The Summer School on "Climate Law & Science: Exploring the Interplay between Legal Systems and Climate Change Science" is designed for participants seeking to strengthen their ability to engage with climate-related legal and policy challenges in academic, institutional, or professional contexts.
The course examines how scientific knowledge is generated, assessed, and translated into legal reasoning, regulatory frameworks, and litigation strategies. Through expert lectures, testimonies, interactive discussions, and hands-on workshops, participants will critically engage with the law–science interface and reflect on emerging governance challenges, including the role of courts and the implications of new scientific developments for specific accountability and broader climate governance.
Course structure
The course will examine the following subjects.
- Production and Assessment of Climate Science: the processes through which climate knowledge is generated, including scientific methods, modelling tools and assessment frameworks. This topic also considers the current state of climate science and the role of uncertainty in projecting future climate scenarios.
- The Role of Scientific Evidence in Law and Policy: how scientific knowledge is integrated into regulatory instruments, decision-making processes and policy responses at international, regional and domestic levels.
- Use of Scientific Evidence in Legal and Regulatory Contexts: the ways in which legal and regulatory institutions interpret and apply climate-related scientific knowledge, with particular attention to evidentiary standards, accountability mechanisms, and climate litigation. Participants will also explore the principles of climate change law under conditions of scientific uncertainty.
- Climate Litigation, Attribution, and Causation: the role of climate science in climate litigation, particularly regarding causation, standards of proof and evidentiary challenges. Participants will analyze the interaction between climate science – especially attribution science – and legal systems, focusing on how scientific findings are used to establish responsibility and causation within evolving frameworks of climate governance. The main approaches, actors and remedies of climate litigation will also be covered.
Learning Objectives
By the end of the course, participants will be able to:
- critically understand and explain how climate science is produced, assessed and communicated, including the roles of scientific methods, modelling tools and assessment frameworks.
- understand the relationship between law and science, and explain how climate science informs regulatory frameworks and decision-making processes.
- recognise and integrate climate-related scientific evidence into legal strategies, policy development, and regulatory compliance.
- analyse litigation and accountability frameworks by examining climate litigation cases, assessing enforcement mechanisms and anticipating how scientific developments can shape future legal risks and accountability.
- develop interdisciplinary problem-solving skills by critically assessing complex, real-world climate scenarios, proposing evidence-based legal solutions, and navigating the interaction between law and science.
Final output and assignment
Students will be invited to contribute to a collective publication designed to advance interdisciplinary understanding of the intersection between climate law and climate science.
During the programme, participants will work in small groups on selected thematic areas, such as attribution science and causation, evidentiary challenges in climate litigation, regulatory responses or corporate accountability, which will form the basis of short written outputs developed throughout and after the summer school.
A selection of these contributions will be refined further and integrated into an open-access collective publication, which aims to showcase the emerging interdisciplinary perspectives of early-career researchers and bridge the gap between academic research and policy-relevant insights. The publication will also contribute to the ongoing debate on the role of science in climate law and litigation.
Faculty
The course directors are Ivano Alogna, Senior Researcher in Climate Law at CMCC’s Advanced Training and Education Center (ATEC) and Senior Research Fellow in Environmental and Climate Change Law at the British Institute of International and Comparative Law (BIICL), and Giulia Galluccio, Director of ATEC and Vice-Chair of the Joint Programming Initiative Connecting Climate Knowledge for Europe (JPI Climate).
The course will bring together faculty members and guest speakers from leading institutions, working at the intersection of climate law and science.
Requirements to participate in the course
The Summer School is mainly geared towards Master’s, Ph.D. students, postdocs and early-career researchers and professionals in relevant fields. The maximum age at the time of application is 40 years old.
Applications
Applications are closed.
After the application deadline, all applications will be reviewed and a selection made. The selection committee’s decision is final. The School is unable to provide individual feedback on the selection outcomes.
Logistics
Location
The course will take place at Villa Vigoni. Villa Vigoni is located above Menaggio, on Lake Como (address: Via Giulio Vigoni, 1, 22017 Menaggio CO). Menaggio is a charming town located on the western shore of Lake Como, facing the picturesque village of Varenna. With its beautiful lakeside promenade, historic center and surrounding mountains, it is a popular destination for visitors exploring the central part of the lake.
From the town center, please allow approximately 15 minutes walking time (uphill/downhill).
Food and Accommodation
The accommodation will be at Villa Vigoni. Please remember that in-person participation is mandatory.
The school will provide breakfast, lunch, and dinner for all participants during the course. However, participants may choose to make their own arrangements at their own expense, provided they give prior notice. The school will not cover any additional costs.
Transport
Nearest airports: Milan Malpensa (MXP), Milan Linate (LIN), Milan Bergamo Orio al Serio (BGY).
Nearest train stations: Varenna-Esino (linked to Menaggio by ferryboat), Como San Giovanni and Como Lago train stations (linked to Menaggio by bus).
For more information on how to get to Villa Vigoni, please refer to this link.
Given that most participants will travel via Milan, the school will organize a shuttle service from Milan to Villa Vigoni. More details will be provided to selected candidates.
Fees and financial assistance
The course fee is €1950 per person. A 22% VAT will have to be added to the course fee, unless you fall under an exempt category.
The course fee includes accommodation and meals during the course delivery, access to all course activities, and transfers from the designated meeting point to the course venue on the first and last day of the course.
Upon successful completion of all activities, participants will receive a certificate at the end of the course.
The School will NOT cover any additional costs not explicitly mentioned above, including but not limited to visa application fees or related expenses, medical or travel insurance, and travel arrangements to and from the meeting point or course venue, regardless of the point of departure. Aside from the two transfers mentioned above (to and from the course venue), no additional transfers will be organized.
MAGICA aims to embody and promote equitable access to knowledge and is therefore committed to fostering inclusion and equal opportunities. Financial assistance is available to participants who may otherwise face barriers to accessing the course.
To apply, applicants must include a statement in the motivation letter within the application form, explaining why they should be considered for financial assistance. Grants are awarded by the Future Earth Research School based on the information provided and the overall application. Meeting the eligibility criteria or expressing interest does not guarantee the award of financial assistance.
Funding and organizers
The School is organized by CMCC Foundation's Future Earth Research School (FERS) within the framework of MAGICA project.
MAGICA project is funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or CINEA. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.
