International Investment Law and the Environment

By Prof. Eluckiaa A. | NALSAR University of Law

Learners enrolled: 236

ABOUT THE COURSE:

The countries started signing Bilateral Investment Treaties (BITs) and other Treaties with Investment Provisions (TIPs) to afford protections to foreign investment. But over time, these protections given in the BITs and TIPs were invoked to challenge the regulatory measures of the host state taken for protection of the environment and public health. Environmentalists and other scholars criticised International Investment Law as they found it biased in favour of foreign investors over environmental protection. This course focuses on examining the intricate relationship between international investment law and environmental concerns, exploring how these fields intersect and influence one another.

INTENDED AUDIENCE: LL.B., LL.M, Ph.D. students, practitioners

Summary

Course Status :	Upcoming
Course Type :	Elective
Language for course content :	English
Duration :	12 weeks
Category :	Law
Credit Points :	3
Level :	Undergraduate/Postgraduate
Start Date :	21 Jul 2025
End Date :	10 Oct 2025
Enrollment Ends :	28 Jul 2025
Exam Registration Ends :	15 Aug 2025
Exam Date :	01 Nov 2025 IST
NCrF Level	4.5 — 8.0

Note: This exam date is subject to change based on seat availability. You can check final exam date on your hall ticket.

Page Visits

Course layout

Week 1: Introduction to International Investment Law and its role in Environmental Protection

Week 2: Evolution of Investment Protection Standards

Week 3: Challenges to Foreign Investment Protection and Host State Perspectives

Week 4: Introduction to BIT Protection Standards

Week 5: Regulatory Measures of the Host State and its Challenge in ISDS

Week 6: Some Decided cases

Week 7: Some Decided cases(Contd..)

Week 8: Some Decided cases(Contd..)

Week 9: IIA Provisions for Environmental Concerns

Week 10: Reconciling Environmental Concerns in IIL- Applicable Law, Principle of Systemic Interpretation, and Plea of Necessity

Week 11: Reconciling Environmental Concerns in IIL- Standards of Review and Procedural Innovations

Week 12: ISDS Reforms and the Environment

Books and references

https://docs.google.com/document/d/13AtZ9uzeaDtr1HLPvtj7uvT9BtkfLOicSMpw2Lz2eys/edit?usp=drive_link

Instructor bio

Prof. Eluckiaa A.

NALSAR University of Law

Dr. Eluckiaa Asaithambi is an Assistant Professor of Law at NALSAR University of Law. She holds a Ph.D. in International Investment Law. Eluckiaa has been involved in significant research projects. These projects have contributed to policy recommendations and reforms in legal education and judicial performance. She has authored numerous research papers and book chapters on diverse legal topics, including trade facilitation, investment agreements, censorship and free speech, corporate governance, and environmental law.

Course certificate

The course is free to enroll and learn from. But if you want a certificate, you have to register and write the proctored exam conducted by us in person at any of the designated exam centres.

The exam is optional for a fee of Rs 1000/- (Rupees one thousand only).

Date and Time of Exams : November 01, 2025 Morning session 9am to 12 noon; Afternoon Session 2pm to 5pm.

Registration url: Announcements will be made when the registration form is open for registrations.

The online registration form has to be filled and the certification exam fee needs to be paid. More details will be made available when the exam registration form is published. If there are any changes, it will be mentioned then.

Please check the form for more details on the cities where the exams will be held, the conditions you agree to when you fill the form etc.

CRITERIA TO GET A CERTIFICATE

Average assignment score = 25% of average of best 8 assignments out of the total 12 assignments given in the course.

Exam score = 75% of the proctored certification exam score out of 100

Final score = Average assignment score + Exam score

Please note that assignments encompass all types (including quizzes, programming tasks, and essay submissions) available in the specific week.

YOU WILL BE ELIGIBLE FOR A CERTIFICATE ONLY IF AVERAGE ASSIGNMENT SCORE >=10/25 AND EXAM SCORE >= 30/75. If one of the 2 criteria is not met, you will not get the certificate even if the Final score >= 40/100.

Certificate will have your name, photograph and the score in the final exam with the breakup.It will have the logos of NPTEL and IIT Madras. It will be e-verifiable at nptel.ac.in/noc.

Only the e-certificate will be made available. Hard copies will not be dispatched.

Once again, thanks for your interest in our online courses and certification. Happy learning.

- NPTEL team