Applications are open for the CMCC’s Future Earth Research School (FERS) course on “Climate Change Law & Science”. The Summer School offers a unique opportunity to explore the evolving relationship between climate change and climate law by collaborating with international experts in the exceptional setting of Villa Vigoni on the shores of Lake Como in Italy.
Climate change poses unprecedented challenges to legal systems, governance structures, and the production and application of scientific knowledge. As these challenges transcend traditional disciplinary boundaries, addressing climate change requires a sustained interdisciplinary dialogue between legal scholarship and climate science.
The Summer School on “Climate Change Law & Science: Exploring the Interplay between Legal Systems and Climate Change Science” is the first FERS course entirely dedicated to the exploration of the relationship between climate law and climate science. This high-level, interdisciplinary course will offer participants a critical perspective of the law-science interface and emerging governance challenges. During the training, participants will examine how climate science is produced and evaluated, as well as the role played by scientific evidence in law and policy. Particular attention will be given to the rapidly growing field of climate litigation. Participants will analyse the interaction between climate science and legal systems, focusing on how scientific findings are used to establish responsibility and causation. Exploring the realities of the courtroom, the course will cover the standards of proof and evidentiary challenges of linking climate impacts to liability, alongside the main approaches, key actors, and emerging remedies of climate litigation.
The course will take place at Villa Vigoni, a 19th-century villa overlooking Lake Como in the charming town of Menaggio, from 20 to 25 July, 2026. During the intensive training week, participants will critically engage with the interface of law and science through expert lectures, high-level testimonies, interactive discussions, and hands-on workshops.
Students will also be invited to contribute to a collective publication, designed to advance interdisciplinary understanding of the intersection of climate law and climate science, showcasing the emerging perspective of early-career researchers and professionals.
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 climate science. Among them are Elbert de Jong, Professor at the Utrecht Centre for Accountability and Liability Law at the Utrecht University; Delphine Hedary, Councillor of State at the French Conseil d’État; Michael Mehling, Deputy Director of the Center for Energy and Environmental Policy Research at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT); Aoibhinn Ní Shúilleabháin, Associate Professor at Dublin City University; Giovanni Conti, Junior Scientist at CMCC’s Earth System Modeling and Data Assimilation; Kate McKenzie, Founding Director and CEO of the Climate Change Legal Initiative (C2LI); Luca Saltalamacchia, civil lawyer qualified to practise before higher courts and one of the founders of “Rete Legalità per il Clima (Legality for Climate Network)”; Noah Walker-Crawford, Research Fellow at London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE).
Alongside, Class Tutor Elisa Fiorini Beckhauser, Postdoctoral Researcher at ATEC, CMCC, will provide academic guidance and support throughout the course.
Fees and financial support
The registration fee is €1950 (+22% VAT – €2379 incl. VAT). The fee includes access to all course activities and materials, accommodation at Villa Vigoni, meals, and a collective transfer from Milan to Menaggio and back on the first and last day of the course.
FERS is committed to fostering inclusion and equal opportunities. For this reason, the School offers limited financial assistance for participants who may otherwise face difficulties in accessing the course. Candidates interested in applying for financial assistance can specify so in the application form, and include a support statement in their motivation letter explaining their circumstances.
Location
Villa Vigoni is located above Menaggio, on Lake Como. 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.
The Future Earth Research School (FERS) is a permanent CMCC Foundation initiative, coordinated by its Advanced Training and Education Center (ATEC). It offers high-level scientific courses to equip early-career researchers and professionals with the tools and skills to understand and anticipate future global environmental challenges. Through its activities, the school creates a dynamic environment where researchers and international experts come together to collaborate and share experiences on different multidisciplinary aspects of research, building a fertile ground for innovation and new research pathways.
More information is available here.
