Natural Resources, Energy & Environmental Law
The law relating to natural resources, energy and the environment. Our faculty members are actively researching in a variety of areas, including international environmental law, energy law, law of the sea, regulation of environmental markets, alternative energy law, constitutional law, climate change law, the law of the extraction and mining of natural resources, environmental assessment law and adaptive management, international comparative energy law, sustainable development law, energy transportation law, and land use law.
Our Researchers

Nigel Bankes
- Aboriginal Law
- Circumpolar Law (Arctic)
- Energy Law
- International Environmental Law
- International Water Law (especially the Columbia River Treaty)
- Law of the Sea (especially dispute resolution)
- Oil & Gas Law (regulation and private law)

Gideon Christian
- Artificial Intelligence and Law
- Electronic Discovery Law
- Environmental Impacts of new technology

Shaun Fluker
- Public participation and community engagement with resources and environmental decision-making
- Access to justice and accountability in energy and environmental law
- The implementation of environmental norms in law

Anna-Maria Hubert
- Public international law
- Law of the sea
- International environmental law
- International law and policy relating to science and emerging technologies.

Allan Ingelson
- Regulation of the Canadian and International Energy and Mining Sector
- Coal Bed Methane
- Alternate Energy
- Environmental Impact Assessments

Sharon Mascher
- Environmental Law
- International Environmental Law
- Climate Change Law
- Intersections between Environmental Law and laws affecting Indigenous Peoples


Martin Olszynski
- Environmental Assessment and Adaptive Management
- Ecosystem Services and Environmental Valuation
- Land-use Planning
- Regulatory Compliance and Enforcement
- Climate Change Litigation and Liability
- Empirical Legal Research

Evaristus Oshionebo
- Law and policy governing extraction and mining of natural resources
- Corporate responsibility
- Corporate governance
- Regulation of transnational corporations
- Sustainable development
- Intellectual property law
- International investment law

Fenner Stewart
- Governance of Natural Resources
- Energy and Natural Resources Law
- Environmental Protection
- Responsible Regulation
- Legal Theory

Rudiger Tscherning
- Critical Infrastructure and Construction Law
- Transportation of Energy and Commodities
- Clean Energy, Renewable Energy and Nuclear Energy Law
- The Conflict of Laws (Private International Law)
- Climate Adaptation of Critical Energy Infrastructure

Kristen van de Biezenbos
- Energy Regulation, Transition, and Land Use Issues
- Environmental and Natural Resources Law and Policy
- Renewable Energy Markets and Regulation
- Sustainability, ESG, Private Environmental Governance

David Wright
- Natural Resources Law
- Environmental Law
- Energy Law
- Aboriginal Law and Indigenous Law
- Climate Law
- International Sustainable Development Law
- Rule of Law
Do the laws of the land actually protect the land?
Regulating development: Energy, environmental changes and the law
As energy companies explore more unconventional locations and try to tie into more markets, the law is failing to keep up and should be made more transparent, say UCalgary legal experts.
Energy and the environment: Are our laws keeping up? (Webinar)
As energy companies explore more locations and markets, energy development increasingly touches lives and creates new challenges with regards to balancing economic, social and environmental good. Martin Olszynski, assistant professor of law at the University of Calgary, looks at whether our laws are keeping up in the areas of energy and the environment, and if they need to be made more transparent.
Who on Earth will pay for climate change? "Less heat and more light" needed in carbon policy discussion
Carbon pricing is a hot-button issue across the country, yet experts seem to agree that some form of levies or taxes is inevitable as the world moves toward climate action. The question then becomes what policies Canada can adopt in order to avoid being left behind on the global stage.
Biodiversity Offsets 101: Case Studies and Best Practices for Alberta
The biodiversity crisis is leading many jurisdictions to implement biodiversity offsetting. This webinar will help participants understand what this tool is, and the opportunities and challenges they present.
Related Clinics
Related Moots
Related Programs
- LLM in Natural Resources, Energy, and Environmental Law: Thesis & Course-based
- Post Baccalaureate Certificate in Natural Resources, Energy and Environmental Law
- MSc in Sustainable Energy Development
Books published by our researchers
- The Proposed Nordic Saami Convention: National and International Dimensions of Indigenous Property Rights (2005)
- Energy Networks and the Law: Innovative Solutions in Changing Markets (2012)
- Property and the Law in Energy and Natural Resources (2010)
- Beyond the Carbon Economy (2008)
- Litigating Canada’s Environment: Leading Canadian Environmental Cases by the Lawyers Involved (2017)
- Public Lands and Resources Law in Canada (2016)
- Halsbury's Laws of Canada - Environment (2018)
- Regulating Transnational Corporations in Domestic and International Regimes: An African Case Study (2009)