Law Commons^™

It Takes A Global Sustainability Movement, John C. Dernbach

John C. Dernbach

No abstract provided.

Energy Efficiency And Conservation: New Legal Tools And Opportunities, John Dernbach, Robert Mckinstry, Darin Lowder

John C. Dernbach

Many new and ambitious energy efficiency and conservation laws are being enacted at all levels of government—and with greater financial incentives than provided previously. These innovations are intended to overcome or minimize market barriers such as principal-agent problems, information and transaction costs, high internal discount rates, and up-front capital needs that discourage cost-saving investments. Innovations such as public-private partnerships also require significant legal input and creativity for the client to reap the often remarkably large energy and cost savings. This article reviews a range of these tools, especially financial legal mechanisms, that could help significantly reduce U.S. energy consumption.

Progress Toward Sustainability: A Report Card And A Recommended Agenda, John Dernbach

John C. Dernbach

No abstract provided.

National Governance: Still Stumbling Toward Sustainability, John C. Dernbach

John C. Dernbach

No abstract provided.

Navigating The U.S. Transition To Sustainability: Matching National Governance Challenges With Appropriate Legal Tools, John Dernbach

John C. Dernbach

Sustainable development would require the United States to maintain and improve human prosperity while at the same time greatly reducing its consumption of energy, materials, water, and land. The scope of the challenge includes, but is not limited to, climate change. This Article suggests the elements of a legal structure for achieving sustainability.

Because achieving sustainable development is a significant learning experience, the United States will need to employ a form of governance—reflexive governance—that requires constant learning and supportive citizens and stakeholders who are also working to ensure sustainability in their own activities. The two basic problems reflexive governance must …

Achieving Early And Substantial Greenhouse Gas Reductions Under A Post-Kyoto Agreement, John Dernbach

John C. Dernbach

This article explains why policy makers should seriously consider substantial early reductions in greenhouse gas emissions as a part of any post-Kyoto framework, and sets out suggested elements of a framework for early action in a post-Kyoto agreement. Substantial early reductions are needed because of the growing urgency of the climate change science, the precautionary approach identified in the Framework Convention on Climate Change as a decision-making principle, the fact that cost-effective measures are now available, and the significant non-climate benefits (security, economic, social, and environmental) that can be achieved by implementing them. As a practical matter, too, long-term greenhouse …

Stabilizing And Then Reducing U.S. Energy Consumption: Legal And Policy Tools For Efficiency And Conservation, John Dernbach

John C. Dernbach

Rising global demand for energy, high energy prices, climate change, and the threat of terrorism all point to the need for greater energy efficiency and conservation in the United States. While technological innovation is plainly needed, our laws and institutional arrangements must also play an important role. The United States has scores of legal and policy tools from which to choose to improve energy efficiency and curb energy consumption. This article evaluates a handful of these tools: transit-oriented development; fuel taxation; real-time pricing for electricity use; public benefit funds; improved efficiency in existing residential and commercial buildings; and expanded use …

Achieving Sustainable Development: The Centrality And Multiple Facets Of Integrated Decisionmaking, John C. Dernbach

John C. Dernbach

No abstract provided.

Why Lawyers Should Care, John C. Dernbach

John C. Dernbach

No abstract provided.

Sustainable Versus Unsustainable Propositions, John Dernbach

John C. Dernbach

No abstract provided.

Targets, Timetables And Effective Implementing Mechanisms: Necessary Building Blocks For Sustainable Development, John C. Dernbach

John C. Dernbach

No abstract provided.

Sustainable Development: Now More Than Ever, John C. Dernbach

John C. Dernbach

This Article explains how and why sustainable development emerged as a conceptual framework, the basic concepts or principles on which this framework is based, why sustainability is primarily a matter for domestic national governance, and why the United States needs to play a leading role in fostering sustainable development. Because "sustainable" modifies "development," it is first important to understand what development means. Since the end of World War II, development has included at least four related elements: peace and security, economic development, social development, and supportive national governance. Each element is reflected in major multilateral treaties that provide a common …

From Rio To Johannesburg: Implementing Sustainable Development At The Global And Local Scale, John Dernbach

John C. Dernbach

No abstract provided.