Whenever faced with the decision to declare a “healthful environment” or freedom from harmful contaminants as fundamental rights, federal courts have invariably rejected those claims.
Environmental groups and the State of California are up in arms over an EPA memo scrapping a decades-old Clean Air Act policy. Will the DC Circuit weigh in on the EPA’s use of “guidance” to drastically shift US regulatory policy?
A successful transition to a low emissions economy and a prosperous, climate resilient future. The call to action for states to achieve this reality has never been stronger. But is it possible? With a new Zero Carbon Bill on the table and strong consultation feedback, Aotearoa, New Zealand may be about to show the world how.
By Isabelle Smith, Guest Contributor
On February 15, 2019, President Trump declared a national emergency in order to secure funds to construct a border wall on the Mexican-American border.[i] The President claims the wall will prevent illegal immigrants from entering the United States, and…
The fight over the U.S.-Mexico border wall has sparked a very public debate in the United States. One lesser-known issue surrounding President Trump’s border wall, however, is its effect on the environment. The Supreme Court recently denied certiorari to three conservation groups seeking to halt border wall construction projects that failed to comply with long-standing environmental laws and harmed existing habitats. But why was this construction permitted in the first place?
While some companies celebrate the EPA’s deregulation efforts, other companies are starting to understand that economic and environmental efficiencies can run hand-in-hand. The Carbon Disclosure Project helps companies see the connection.
The physical impacts of climate change affect companies and their profitability drastically. The SEC released guidance in 2010 urging companies to disclose the risks from climate change but has not further urged companies in recent years. Instead, the SEC has shifted towards regulating other issues the current administration has prioritized, leaving investors in the dark about the financial impacts climate change has on businesses.
This post seeks to understand what caused the results of a recent United Nations (UN) report on the international environmental rule of law and outline the international community’s difficulties in implementing and enforcing environmental regulations. Both the domestic politics of individual states and the inherent nature of the international community contribute to the inability of international organizations like the UN to enforce environmental standards on a global scale.
Twenty-one children are suing the federal government over its failure to address climate change. But does the public have a fundamental right to the environment and is climate change an appropriate issue for courts to address?
Whereas the Refugee Convention does not provide relief for climate change refugees like Teitiota, the Alien Tort Statute (ATS) might.
