Law and Society Commons^™

The Overfished Pacific Bluefin Tuna: The Tragedy Of A Highly Migratory Fish Species, Theresa Geib

Sustainable Development Law & Policy

Introduction

The ocean is an abundant resource; however, overutilization is becoming an increasing threat to biodiversity. Approximately 90% of the ocean’s fisheries are overexploited, fully exploited, or have collapsed entirely. The issue of overfishing arose in the mid-1900s after the industrialization of the fishing industry. Once dominated by local fishermen, the industry now features commercial fleets with the technology to locate, extract, and process large numbers of specific fish species. An early 2000s study reported that only 10% of large ocean fish remained after years of industrial fishing, including the highly migratory Pacific Bluefin Tuna (“PBT”).

In 2016, the PBT …

An Opportunity That Should Not Be Missed: Applying Chinese Policy That Promotes Efficient Air Conditioning To Countries That Need It, Xiaopu Sun, Houfu Yan, Shekun Wang, Tad Ferris

Sustainable Development Law & Policy

Introduction

As the world warms, the growing use of air conditioners (“ACs”) and other cooling equipment becomes essential for human comfort and public health. In addition, cooling-equipment energy and refrigerant consumption also presents tremendous climate mitigation opportunities. The most efficient ways to capture much of the climate benefit lie in the hands of a small number of AC manufacturing and exporting countries, including China, which manufactures over 80% of global room ACs with a large amount of this cooling equipment destined for export. This article highlights one of China’s policies, the “Same Line, Same Standard and Same Quality” policy (“Same-Line …

About Sdlp

Sustainable Development Law & Policy

The Sustainable Development Law & Policy Brief (ISSN 1552-3721) is a student-run initiative at American University Washington College of Law that is published twice each academic year. The Brief embraces an interdisciplinary focus to provide a broad view of current legal, political, and social developments. It was founded to provide a forum for those interested in promoting sustainable economic development, conservation, environmental justice, and biodiversity throughout the world.

Because our publication focuses on reconciling the tensions found within our ecosystem, it spans a broad range of environmental issues such as sustainable development; trade; renewable energy; environmental justice; air, water, and …

Editor's Note, Keanu Bader, Alexis Bauman

Sustainable Development Law & Policy

Dear Readers,

The Sustainable Development Law & Policy Brief (SDLP) is celebrating twenty-one years of legal scholarship on issues related to environmental, energy, and international development law. We are honored to be the Editors-in-Chief at this pivotal moment in SDLP’s history. Over the past twenty one years, SDLP has addressed cutting-edge legal issues developing within international environmental law. This year is no different, as the COVID-19 Pandemic has impacted our communities, we rose to the challenge to continue to publish articles that push the limits of legal theory and policy, while giving a space for students to …

Endnotes, David Hunter

Sustainable Development Law & Policy

No abstract provided.

Nothing Shellfish About It: Why The Fad Needs To Update The Seafood List To Require Geographic Origin And Species-Specific Shrimp Labeling, Bree Evans

Sustainable Development Law & Policy

Introduction

Imagine you are seated at a nice restaurant down by the wharf where you live. You are celebrating a job offer, out for a romantic night with your partner, or just craving some salt air and a great meal. You would expect the shrimp tacos brought to your table to be fresh and local—the fishing boats are docked just across the boardwalk. But the seafood brought to your table seems off somehow, not quite the same as you remembered it. Unfortunately, this experience is more common than you might think, and it’s getting harder to know how fresh and …

A Silver Bullet: Could Data Linking Urban Heat Islands To Housing Discrimination Curtail Environmental Racism?, Russell Armstrong

Sustainable Development Law & Policy

“[A]ll things share the same breath— the beast, the tree, the man …the air shares its spirit with all the life it supports.”

Google “Chief Seattle” and you will likely find that quote. We now know it is a work of fiction after several misinterpretations and fabrications of Dr. Henry Smith’s original translation. We also know now that all people, particularly Black Americans, do not all breathe the same air. Instead, Black Americans and other underrepresented minorities are subjected to the toxic effects of climate change at increasingly disproportionate rates. Controlling for income, studies find racial identity is the most …

Manufacturers Beware Of Right To Repair: An Analysis Of The Resurgence Of Right To Repair & The Legal Consequences Of Third-Party Access To Embedded Software In The ‘Internet Of Things’ Era, Lindsey Barringto

Sustainable Development Law & Policy

On March 18, 2019 California became the twentieth state to introduce Right to Repair legislation in one year. The policy objectives for Right to Repair are straightforward: advocate for federal and state laws that make it easier for owners of consumer goods to ix a device when it breaks rather than relying on the Apple store. However, since 2014, small farmers have joined the Right to Repair movement because major manufacturers, such as John Deere, have consolidated dealer networks in response to the consolidation of farming in the past decade.

While proponents for Right to Repair legislation argue that consumers …

Climate Gentrification: An Imminent Threat To Oceanfront Cities, Marcel Apple

Sustainable Development Law & Policy

Overview

Traditionally, gentrification occurs when real estate prices appreciate, leading to significant cultural change in low-income communities and involuntary displacement of low-income residents. In recent years, Miami, Florida is beginning to feel the impacts of “climate gentrification.” High-income buyers, who historically develop property close to the ocean, are affected by rising sea levels and increasingly look inland to develop areas on higher ground. The influx of real estate investments in these is expected to lead to spiking home prices and property taxes, forcing many longtime community members to abandon their homes.

Homeowners in these communities already report approaches from developers …

Canada’S Arctic Policy Framework: Governance Transformation In Nunavut, C. Mark Macneill

Sustainable Development Law & Policy

On August 28, 2017 Canada’s Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau committed to a renewed relationship with Indigenous Peoples based on the recognition of rights, respect, co-operation and partnership. To accomplish this mission, major structural changes in how the Government of Canada engages and relates with Indigenous peoples across the country were co-developed with indigenous, territorial and provincial partners to form a new Arctic Policy Framework (APF). This has had major implications of departmental transformation, particularly for the former Department of Indigenous and Northern Affairs (INAC), Nunavut. Regional Office (NRO), its staff, programs, and operations.

Splitting Canada’S Northern Strategy: Is It Polar Mania?, C. Mark Macneill

Sustainable Development Law & Policy

On July 15, 2019, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s legislation splitting Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada (INAC) into two new departments and dissolving INAC came into effect. The same legislation also formally established the mandates of the two new departments, Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs (CIRNAC) and Indigenous Services Canada (ISC). The Government of Canada passed the legislation to develop deeper relations and higher levels of collaboration with Canada’s Indigenous people to build stronger and healthier northern communities. Dovetailing with the splitting of INC, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announce the Arctic Policy Framework (APF). The APF was co-developed with indigenous, territorial, …

Transboundary Air Pollution In Northeast Asia: Two Pathways Forward For China And South Korea, Yeeun Uhm, Creighton Barry

Sustainable Development Law & Policy

Simply put, air pollution kills. Each year, more than 5.5 million people die from illnesses caused by breathing polluted air worldwide. In 2013 alone, one in ten deaths globally were associated with air pollution. Such alarming statistics ought to provide governments a strong incentive to combat air pollution, but toxic air unrelentingly blankets places like New Delhi, Seoul, and Bangkok. Fundamentally, this may be because humans take the atmosphere for granted as a place to dump industrial waste. This article will discuss two alternative pathways to addressing transboundary air pollution between China and South Korea. One involves binding international dispute …

Sdlp After 20: Sustainable Development In The Anthropocene, David Hunter

Sustainable Development Law & Policy

This volume marks the 20th anniversary of Sustainable Development Law and Policy (SDLP) published by the students of American University’s Washington College of Law. SDLP was founded to explore the legal and policy dimensions of sustainable development (i.e. the simultaneous pursuit, or integration, of economic development, environmental protection, and social welfare). During its twenty years, SDLP has provided a forum for scholars, practitioners, and students to analyze the complex challenges to achieving economic and social justice within the constraints of our planet’s natural environment. From its first volume addressing liability for carbon trading, the regulation of genetically modified organisms, and …

About Page, Sustainable Development Law And Policy Brief

Sustainable Development Law & Policy

The Sustainable Development Law & Policy Brief (ISSN 1552-3721) is a student-run initiative at American University Washington College of Law that is published twice each academic year. The Brief embraces an interdisciplinary focus to provide a broad view of current legal, political, and social developments. It was founded to provide a forum for those interested in promoting sustainable economic development, conservation, environmental justice, and biodiversity throughout the world.

Because our publication focuses on reconciling the tensions found within our ecosystem, it spans a broad range of environmental issues such as sustainable development; trade; renewable energy; environmental justice; air, water, and …

Editor's Note, Brianna Delduca, Hannah Gardenswartz

Sustainable Development Law & Policy

Dear Readers,

This issue is a celebration of Sustainable Development Law & Policy Brief’s (SDLP’s) twentieth anniversary. It has been a privilege to oversee SDLP during this tumultuous time. Now more than ever, we need to focus on global ramifications of the human environment. Over the past twenty years, SDLP has discussed developing theories in international environmental law. While we are living in strange times, SDLP continues to be a place to discuss how humans interact with the environment.

For this issue, we are celebrating twenty years by publishing articles and features that look at where the law of sustainable …

Endnotes, Joan F. Chu

Sustainable Development Law & Policy

Underserved Communities Trashed by Plastic; Continued

And Endnotes

Underserved Communities Trashed By Plastic: Slowing The Proliferation Of Petroleum Based Products Through Stewardship Laws And Enhanced Back-End Regulatory Solutions, Joan F. Chu

Sustainable Development Law & Policy

Introduction

Plastic pollution has attracted a tremendous amount of attention and press coverage in early 2021 as evidenced in news stories; an episode of John Oliver’s show, “Last Week Tonight”; and a viral tweet from Greta Thunberg highlighting a study linking plastic pollution to human penises shrinking. These eye-catching pieces stemmed from Dr. Shanna H. Swan’s work that culminated in her book, Count Down: How Our Modern World Is Threatening Sperm Counts, Altering Male and Female Reproductive Development, and Imperiling the Future of the Human Race. Other articles have highlighted plastic pollution’s impact on polar bears, which causes their penis …

Bison, Tribes, And Brucellosis In The Interagency Bison Management Plan, Bailey Nickoloff

Sustainable Development Law & Policy

Introduction

It would be in the best interest of the Interagency Bison Management Plan (“IBMP”) and its affiliated agencies to allow Tribal governments and Tribal members to hunt bison within Yellowstone National Park (“YNP”). This would help to reduce the spread of brucellosis, reduce the environmental impacts from bison in YNP, and honor the treaties signed between the United States and Tribal governments. These agencies can accomplish this by implementing treaty hunting rights in a new Environmental Impact Statement (“EIS”) and within an existing legal framework.

Paving A Path To Independent Tiny Living: An Introduction To Roadblocks, Jaclyn Troutner

Sustainable Development Law & Policy

“Tiny living” is a growing trend in which small-scale, ecoconscious housing is used as an alternative means for homeownership. Tiny homes are smaller than the average detached home with the appearance and character of a traditional freestanding residential home. They are one-story, single-occupant dwellings and usually constructed on a trailer base for towing. State-of-the-art building techniques provide a lower environmental burden and utility cost per square foot. Due to their smaller size, tiny homes are cheaper with an average price of $52,000, opening a wider door to home ownership. The typical design is to include all the standard amenities and …

Rulemaking Doubletake: An Opportunity To Repair And Strengthen The National Environmental Policy Act, Rachel Keylon

Sustainable Development Law & Policy

Introduction

In the middle of the twentieth century, there was a turning point in the United States and around the world in the understanding of the human relationship with the natural environment and natural resources. It was a shift from a perspective of natural resources endlessly available for exploitation to a perspective that natural resources are finite, and conservation and preservation are necessary to ensure that these resources are available for future generations. The accumulation of chronic environmental degradation, such as the unchecked proliferation of pesticides and other toxic chemicals, pollution to the nation’s waters, loss of land to erosion, …

About Sdlp

Sustainable Development Law & Policy

The Sustainable Development Law & Policy Brief (ISSN 1552-3721) is a student-run initiative at American University Washington College of Law that is published twice each academic year. The Brief embraces an interdisciplinary focus to provide a broad view of current legal, political, and social developments. It was founded to provide a forum for those interested in promoting sustainable economic development, conservation, environmental justice, and biodiversity throughout the world.

Because our publication focuses on reconciling the tensions found within our ecosystem, it spans a broad range of environmental issues such as sustainable development; trade; renewable energy; environmental justice; air, water, and …

Editor's Note, Juliette Jackson, Bailey Nickoloff

Sustainable Development Law & Policy

Dear Readers,

For more than two decades, the Sustainable Development Law and Policy Brief (SDLP) remains true to its mission of providing innovative solutions to some of the most important legal issues related to environmental law, energy law, and natural resources law. We are honored to be the Editors-in-Chief during these unprecedented times in our history, as we witnessed a historical presidential election and now enter the third year of the COVID-19 global pandemic. Despite these unparalleled times, the SDLP staff brought our readership another great issue.

In this issue, our authors provide an in-depth analysis into current regulations and …

Let Us Not Be Intimidated: Past And Present Applications Of Section 11(B) Of The Voting Rights Act, Carly E. Zipper

Washington Law Review

As John Lewis said, “[the] vote is precious. Almost sacred. It is the most powerful non-violent tool we have to create a more perfect union.” The Voting Rights Act (VRA), likewise, is a powerful tool. This Comment seeks to empower voters and embolden their advocates to better use that tool with an improved understanding of its little-known protection against voter intimidation, section 11(b).

Although the term “voter intimidation” may connote armed confrontations at polling places, some forms of intimidation are much more subtle and insidious—dissuading voters from heading to the polls on election day rather than confronting them outright when …

Tiny Homes: A Big Solution To American Housing Insecurity, Lisa T. Alexander

Faculty Scholarship

“There’s no place like home,” said Dorothy. Yet, millions of people in the United States may face eviction, foreclosure, or homelessness in 2021 and beyond. America is on the brink of an unprecedented housing crisis in the wake of Covid-19. The federal government, and various states and localities, have taken actions to avert a housing crisis in the aftermath of Covid 19. While these actions have undeniably helped mitigate widespread foreclosure and eviction crises, they do not fully address the more fundamental American housing challenge—an inadequate supply of affordable housing at all income levels, a longstanding problem that Covid-19 has …

P*Law 2022, Center For Public Service Law

2021–2022 Flyers

This document outlines the full schedule for P*LAW Week 2022 at Cardozo School of Law, presented by the Center for Public Service Law. Held virtually from January 24 to January 27, the week featured panels, workshops, and discussions on key issues in public interest law, including immigration policy, educational equity, criminal justice reform, reproductive rights, data privacy, military law, labor rights, and overdose prevention. Events brought together legal professionals, advocates, scholars, and Cardozo students to explore law’s role in advancing social justice and supporting vulnerable communities.

Regulating International Commercial Surrogacy: A Balance Of Harms And Benefits, Sophia Shepherd

University of Florida Journal of Law & Public Policy

International surrogacy can produce great joy, as well-paid surrogates help produce healthy children for caring parents. However, many current cross-border surrogacy arrangements occur under conflicting citizenship laws, which can leave surrogate-born children stateless and their intended parents fighting for parental rights. In addition, without sufficient regulation, international surrogacy can lead to abuses, including exploitation of surrogate mothers and abandonment of surrogate-born children. At the other extreme, excessive regulation, including prohibition, can also cause great harm as surrogates and intended parents are denied surrogacy’s benefits. Moreover, inadequate regulation can quickly lead to prohibition, as abuses cause a country to flip from …

Statutory Interpretation From The Outside, Kevin Tobia, Brian G. Slocum, Victoria Frances Nourse

Georgetown Law Faculty Publications and Other Works

How should judges decide which linguistic canons to apply in inter­preting statutes? One important answer looks to the inside of the legisla­tive process: Follow the canons that lawmakers contemplate. A different answer, based on the “ordinary meaning” doctrine, looks to the outside: Follow the canons that guide an ordinary person’s understanding of the legal text. We offer a novel framework for empirically testing linguistic canons “from the outside,” recruiting 4,500 people from the United States and a sample of law students to evaluate hypothetical scenarios that correspond to each canon’s triggering conditions. The empirical findings provide evidence about which traditional …

Very Important Cases (“Vics”): United States V. Briggs And The Status Of Cases Involving Sexual Violence And Statutes Of Limitations, Michele A. Yankson

University of San Francisco Law Review

No abstract provided.

Negotiating Social Change: Backstory Behind The Repeal Of Don't Ask, Don't Tell, Linell A. Letendre, Hal Abramson

University of Florida Journal of Law & Public Policy

This Article is about negotiating social change in the largest U.S. institution, the Military and its five Services. Inducing social change in any institution and society is notoriously difficult when change requires overcoming clashing personal values among stakeholders. And, in this negotiation over the repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell (DADT), clashing values over open service by gays and lesbians were central to the conflict. In response to President Obama’s call to repeal DADT, the Secretary of Defense selected a Working Group to undertake studies, surveys and focus groups to inform the debate. During the nine-month process of gathering a …

Educational Malpractice: Is It A Tort Whose Time Has Come? An Exploratory Mixed Methods Study, Todd A. Demitchell, Stefanie King, Terri A. Demitchell

University of Florida Journal of Law & Public Policy

Peter Doe, a high school student with an average IQ and an average attendance record, graduated from high school in 1972. His reading ability at the time of graduation was approximately at the fifth-grade level. Peter Doe brought suit against the school district and its employees for negligence resulting in his inability to read and write. He sought damages of $500,000. The plaintiff claimed that these actions resulted in depriving him of basic academic skills thus limiting his lifetime stream of earnings. In other words, he asserted that he was injured because the school district and its “teachers negligently or …