March 31, 2021
by Drew Robertson
Air
Climate change
Litigation
Public Lands
State and Local
By Alec Williams, Managing Editor
After a record-breaking wildfire season in 2020, lawsuits are likely to flood the dockets of federal and state courts across the United States. Wildfire liability determinations at either level can be complex, typically implicating many parties and exorbitant damage awards. However, in light of the projected impact of climate change on wildfire frequency and severity, such lawsuits may become increasingly commonplace.
January 29, 2021
by Alec Williams
Climate change
International
Oceans
Water
By Eleanor Hildebrandt, Staff Contributor
The effects of climate change will make swaths of the planet uninhabitable, displacing millions of people. How can the United States’ legal system facilitate an equitable, humanitarian response to those seeking safe resettlement within its borders?
January 15, 2021
by Lawrence Corbeille
Air
Chemicals
Climate change
Sara Zaat, Staff Contributor
Hydrofluorocarbons, an alternative to the ozone-depleting substances that damage the Earth’s protective ozone layer, are potent greenhouse gases that exacerbate climate change. These chemicals are scheduled for reduction under international law: the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer. Will the United States join the majority of U.N. Member States in committing to phasing down its hydrofluorocarbon production and consumption in accordance with international law in a Biden administration?
January 12, 2021
by Scott Fletcher
Climate change
By Shannon Twiss, Staff Contributor
Policymakers should take a closer look at the way the effects of climate change are taking their toll on our most essential workers in agriculture, manufacturing, and emergency response.
October 25, 2020
by Brooke McClain Delaney
Air
Chemicals
Climate change
Fossil Fuels
International
By Hyunjin Kim, Staff Contributor
"Normal was a crisis." When we say we want to "go back to normal," do we really mean the world exactly as we left it? Or, could we use COVID as a means of building something better than what we had, perhaps greener?
October 20, 2020
by Alec Williams
Air
Climate change
Fossil Fuels
State and Local
By Camden Douglas, Staff Contributor
On September 23, 2020, California Governor Gavin Newson issued an executive order[1] that is expected to reduce the impact of climate change by drastically transforming the State's transportation industry. California experiences many unique climate change-related problems. For instance, as a result of climate change, the duration of California's wildfire season has more than doubled since 1980.[2] Indeed, this year, California is experiencing a record-breaking burn,[3] with wildfires scorching millions of acres of land.[4] The executive order, in an attempt to attenuate some of these climate change-related impacts on the State, requires all new passenger vehicles sold in California to be zero-emission by 2035, effectively banning the sale of new gasoline-powered vehicles in just fifteen years.[5]
May 3, 2020
by Camilla Brandfield-Harvey
Climate change
Energy
Natural Resources
Renewable Energy
By Robert Patton, Managing Editor
The coronavirus pandemic provides a unique opportunity to address global climate change.
April 29, 2020
by De Vann Sago
Climate change
International
State and Local
By Jie Yang, Managing Editor for Development
February 10, 2020
by Trevor Herden
Air
Climate change
Fossil Fuels
Natural Resources
By Molly Green, Staff Contributor.
Do children have a right to a government that protects their interest in a sustainable climate? Will Courts give them a chance to voice the urgency of their climate-based claims?
October 26, 2019
by Sara Douki
Air
Climate change
Endangered Species
International
Natural Resources
Wildlife
By Austin Holtshouser, Staff Contributor
With the consequences of forest fires being felt on both local and global levels, more needs to be done to mitigate these events – domestic government action is essential.
