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The Ninth Circuit’s 10 Most Important Environmental Law Decisions of 2020
Climate Change, California v. Trump Cases Lead the List
This is the second of three year-end posts on the most important environmental law decisions in 2020 from the U.S. Supreme Court, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit and California Supreme Court. (The key U.S. Supreme Court rulings were the focus of yesterday’s post, and tomorrow’s will feature California Supreme Court decisions.) Today, …
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CONTINUE READINGThe U.S. Supreme Court’s Most Important 2020 Environmental Law Decisions
Clean Water Act, CERCLA, Native American Law and Trump’s Border Wall Lead the List
It’s become customary for critics and observers from many disciplines to publish a wide variety of lists at year’s end, nominating the most important or best movies, music, plays, etc. of the preceding year. Why not follow that tradition in the fields of environmental law and policy? With that objective in mind, I plan over …
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CONTINUE READINGWe Cannot Keep Global Warming within 1.5°C without Geoengineering
A new report from German green left groups heroically try do so, but fail
I emphasize the importance of carbon dioxide removal (CDR) technologies and solar geoengineering research because keeping global warming within the internationally agreed-upon 2°C goal through reducing greenhouse gas emissions alone is extremely difficult, and limiting it to the 1.5°C aspirational target is now essentially impossible. All options to reduce climate change that are consistent with …
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CONTINUE READINGRescinding Federal Environmental Rollbacks
Roadmaps for nearly 200 actions
The Trump Administration has rolled back environmental protection in numerous ways, large and small, across the entire federal government. From power plant mercury emissions to protection for endangered species, from climate change data on government websites to state authority to regulate air pollution, the Administration has undermined the process, structure, and substance of environmental law, …
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CONTINUE READINGCalifornia’s Environmental Justice Policies Should Serve as A Model for the Biden-Harris Administration
AB 617’s Program to Reduce Hot Spot Pollution, Port Programs, Zero Emission Trucks Could Go National
No Presidential ticket has come into office more committed to environmental issues than President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris. Appropriately, climate change is at the top of their agenda. They are also committed to advancing environmental justice by addressing the disproportionate environmental harms many low income communities of color face. California is often …
CONTINUE READINGIs the Paris Agreement’s Ambitious 1.5°C within Striking Distance?
A new analysis highlights the dangerous seduction of long-term targets
A new briefing (and PDF) from Climate Action Tracker opens with, “The recent wave of net zero targets has put the Paris Agreement’s 1.5°C within striking distance.” Big, if true. But is it? In the 2015 Paris Agreement on climate change, countries agreed to keep global warming within 2°C and to “pursu[e] efforts” to keep …
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CONTINUE READINGInsuring Extreme Heat Risks: Q+A with CA Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara
Insurance Commissioner answers questions on insurance and extreme heat issues
Yesterday, CLEE released Insuring Extreme Heat Risks, which investigates the potential for insurance and other financial risk transfer mechanisms to address the multi-faceted and growing risks that climate change-related extreme heat poses to public health, infrastructure, educational and labor productivity, and other vital systems. California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara, who provided vital support for the report …
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CONTINUE READINGAddressing Extreme Heat Risk with Insurance
New report assesses potential for innovative insurance solutions to support response and mitigation
This past summer, California suffered through a record heat wave with triple-digit temperatures throughout the state that helped spark the record-setting wildfires that left millions of acres burned, thousands of people displaced, dozens dead or missing, and millions breathing toxic air. But extreme heat is a climate killer in its own right, responsible for thousands …
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CONTINUE READINGEngineering Biological Diversity
In a new paper, I introduce the international governance of synthetic biology, gene drives, and de-extinction for conservation.
In addition to climate change — the primary topic of my academic writing — biodiversity loss is the other major global environmental challenge. Like climate change, efforts over the last three decades keep failing to meet agreed-upon objectives. And like climate change, scientists and others are considering novel technologies that would intervene in natural systems …
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CONTINUE READINGBattle for the Senate: 2022 Preview
We’ve just been through one big election. But it’s only 2 years till the next one.
We’re only two years away from the next Senate elections. Granted, we’re not completely done with the 2020 Senate elections given the Georgia runoffs. But just 24 months from now, control of the Senate will again be at stake. On average, the President’s party loses two Senate seats in the off-year elections. That’s not a …
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