Abstract:

Law students must not only receive a general theoretical training on any subject, but also a practical tuition. This dual approach will allow them to learn the rules of a particular subject, as well as to assimilate the diverse content of each area of Law, to implement better their knowledge in the future to the diverse facts that may arise in the daily life of our society.
Consequently, the subjects of the Degree in Law should be lectured granting a main role to the analysis of the current situation, by explaining the rules of the legal system, not just from a purely regional and national point of view but also considering the European and other international instruments, complementing this approach with practical and useful activities. These will depend on the subject, but must always reflect the main conflicts that arise in the daily practice of any State.
The teaching of "Derecho del Medio Ambiente" (Environmental Law), a transversal and global subject whose features arise from the nature of the legal right to be protected, "the environment", is particularly sensitive to the aforementioned ideas. The theoretical and practical approach is deemed to be essential when lecturing this subject.
On the one hand, when it comes to the theoretical approach, the Lecturer will have to explain the responsibilities arising from environmental damages (of a civil, criminal and administrative nature), by analyzing the specific rules on environmental protection.
On the other hand, besides the teaching of the legal framework, some activities might be proposed and/or arranged for the intended purpose of completing the training of students through their rapprochement to certain persons and/or institutions which face problems related to the subject in their daily activity. These could be some proposals:
1. To look for judgments of the Tribunal Supremo (Supreme Court) in data bases having dealt with the production of an environmental damage produced as a consequence of the act or omission caused by the fault or negligence of the responsible of the damage.
2. To consider some particular cases of environmental disasters which have been punished with criminal liability, such as the Prestige or the Aznalcollar Mine.
3. To visit a nuclear power station to study the legislation relating to this area in situ.
4. To organize a discussion with the students about the positive and negative points of using nuclear energy.
5. To visit the headquarters of an organization or institution associated with the protection of the environment, such as Greenpeace or Adena, with the aim of analyzing later on in the classroom the basis of their claiming policies.
6. To invite the Head of the Environment Section of the Regional Police of Valencia to make a presentation about the most common administrative violations against the environment and the activity of the police to fight them.
7. To outline the main causes of global warming and environmental problems of the greenhouse effect in the atmosphere after viewing the documentary "An Inconvenient Truth" starring by Al Gore, considering that the trend of climate change in the Earth is a confirmed reality.
8. Finally, to conduct a roundtable discussion to which certain companies that opt for the use of renewable energies in order to halt the negative developments of our planet will be invited to participate.

Keywords:

innovation, university, environmental law, legal regime, case law, database.