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Full-Text Articles in Law
Climate Legislation And Litigation In Brazil, Gabriel Wedy
Climate Legislation And Litigation In Brazil, Gabriel Wedy
Sabin Center for Climate Change Law
Brazil plays a major role in the global fight against climate change, especially because of its vast forests. However, the amount of deforestation now occurring is in great dispute. Between August 2014 and July 2015, for example, deforestation in the Amazon rainforest increased by 215% according to Imazon Research Institute. Contrarily, according to the Brazil Government, the increase was only 16%.
This paper discusses the role that legislation and litigation are playing, and the roles they may and should play in the future, in combatting deforestation and other factors relevant to climate change in Brazil.
The Price Of Climate Deregulation: Adding Up The Costs And Benefits Of Federal Greenhouse Gas Emission Standards, Nadra Rahman, Jessica A. Wentz
The Price Of Climate Deregulation: Adding Up The Costs And Benefits Of Federal Greenhouse Gas Emission Standards, Nadra Rahman, Jessica A. Wentz
Sabin Center for Climate Change Law
Federal climate regulations are currently under attack, in part due to the perception that these regulations will impose excessive costs on regulated industries and society as a whole. But according to federal projections, the benefits of these regulations would significantly outweigh the costs. We added up the projected economic impacts of major federal rules aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions and found that the net benefits could reach nearly $300 billion per year by 2030. The rules will also generate a variety of non-monetized benefits, such as improved public health outcomes and the creation of jobs, as well as climate …
10 Questions To Ask About The Proposed “Global Pact For The Environment”, Susan Biniaz
10 Questions To Ask About The Proposed “Global Pact For The Environment”, Susan Biniaz
Sabin Center for Climate Change Law
There is no doubt that more needs to be done, both nationally and internationally, to protect the environment. It is tempting, particularly during the Trump era, to welcome any concerted effort to do so. The issue is whether the proposed “Global Pact” is the right vehicle for enhancing environmental protection.
The Global Pact was launched this past June in Paris, with support from, among others, President Macron of France and former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. At least in its preliminary state, the Pact reflects broad, cross-cutting principles in legally binding form. France intends to seek support at the upcoming UN …
To Negotiate A Carbon Tax: A Rough Map Of Policy Interactions, Tradeoffs, And Risks, Justin Gundlach
To Negotiate A Carbon Tax: A Rough Map Of Policy Interactions, Tradeoffs, And Risks, Justin Gundlach
Sabin Center for Climate Change Law
Sooner or later, the federal government will assign a price to carbon dioxide emissions via legislation. The contents of that legislation will reflect negotiated agreement – built on various political tradeoffs – over a host of policy issues, ranging from taxes to energy efficiency standards. These tradeoffs would implicate not only the scope and price assigned by the carbon pricing policy, but also the policies with which it would interact. This paper anticipates that price will take the form of a carbon tax and describes interactions between that tax and various existing and proposed policies relating to climate change, energy, …
A Call To Action For New Yorkers, Jeffrey Gracer, Michael Mahoney
A Call To Action For New Yorkers, Jeffrey Gracer, Michael Mahoney
Sabin Center for Climate Change Law
President Donald Trump's announcement last week that he will begin the process of withdrawing the United States from the Paris Climate Change Agreement is a deeply disappointing decision, one that jeopardizes the future of the planet and cedes U.S. leadership on international climate action.
Act Locally, Reflect Globally: A Checklist Of Options For U.S. Cities And States To Engage Internationally In Climate Action, Susan Biniaz
Act Locally, Reflect Globally: A Checklist Of Options For U.S. Cities And States To Engage Internationally In Climate Action, Susan Biniaz
Sabin Center for Climate Change Law
U.S. cities and states are increasingly asking how they can play a more visible and active role in international climate change efforts.
Cities and states have obvious incentives to take action to mitigate and adapt to climate change. But why engage internationally? They may seek to demonstrate leadership or gain appropriate recognition for “doing their part.” They may want to inspire others to follow suit or support them in doing so, such as through exchanging best practices. They may seek to join the global march toward low-emission and resilient societies. Or they may want to show the world that U.S. …
The Status Of Climate Change Litigation: A Global Review, Michael Burger, Justin Gundlach
The Status Of Climate Change Litigation: A Global Review, Michael Burger, Justin Gundlach
Sabin Center for Climate Change Law
Over the last decade, laws codifying national and international responses to climate change have grown in number, specificity, and importance. As these laws have recognized new rights and created new duties, litigation seeking to challenge either their facial validity or their particular application has followed. So too has litigation aimed at pressing legislators and policymakers to be more ambitious and thorough in their approaches to climate change. In addition, litigation seeking to fill the gaps left by legislative and regulatory inaction has also continued. As a result, courts are adjudicating a growing number of disputes over actions – or inaction …
Downstream And Upstream Greenhouse Gas Emissions: The Proper Scope Of Nepa Review, Michael Burger, Jessica A. Wentz
Downstream And Upstream Greenhouse Gas Emissions: The Proper Scope Of Nepa Review, Michael Burger, Jessica A. Wentz
Sabin Center for Climate Change Law
Recently, legal controversies have arisen regarding the scope of greenhouse gas emissions that should be considered in environmental reviews of fossil fuel extraction and transportation proposals under the National Environmental Policy Act (“NEPA”). The key question is whether and how agencies should account for emissions from activities that occur “downstream” from the proposed action, such as the combustion of fossil fuels, and emissions from activities that occur “upstream” of the proposed action, such as the extraction of fossil fuels. This question is important, because consideration of such emissions can alter the balance of costs and benefits for a proposed project …
How Did Federal Environmental Impact Statements Address Climate Change In 2016?, Saloni Jain, Omri Klagsbald, Giovanna Leigh Crozier-Fitzgerald, Taylor Quinn, Elana Sulakshana
How Did Federal Environmental Impact Statements Address Climate Change In 2016?, Saloni Jain, Omri Klagsbald, Giovanna Leigh Crozier-Fitzgerald, Taylor Quinn, Elana Sulakshana
Sabin Center for Climate Change Law
In partnership with the Sabin Center for Climate Change Law, this project surveyed 31 federal environmental impact statements (EISs) published from September through November 2016. The objective was to evaluate how federal agencies were implementing the guidance released in August 2016 by the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) on how to account for climate change and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the environmental review process.
How Existing Environmental Laws Respond To Climate Change And Its Mitigation, Justin Gundlach
How Existing Environmental Laws Respond To Climate Change And Its Mitigation, Justin Gundlach
Sabin Center for Climate Change Law
Existing environmental laws interact with public health priorities and with aspects of the changing climate in numerous and varied ways. This chapter does not attempt to catalogue those interactions, but instead focuses on two that are especially important and illustrative of the operation and limitations of existing environmental laws vis-à-vis climate change-driven challenges. The first interaction is between pollution levels boosted by climate change and pollution control laws that employ health-based standards to determine pollution limits. The second is between a wider array of existing laws and the effects of climate change mitigation measures on public health. Examining these interactions …
Critics Float Legal Theories To Challenge Pruitt's Science Advisor Policy, Maria Hegstad
Critics Float Legal Theories To Challenge Pruitt's Science Advisor Policy, Maria Hegstad
Sabin Center for Climate Change Law
House Democrats and a Columbia University law professor are detailing possible legal arguments that could be used to challenge Administrator Scott Pruitt’s controversial new directive barring scientists who are receiving an EPA research grant from serving on one of its scientific advisory committees.