The Tenth Circuit affirmed a district court ruling that remanded to state court a climate change lawsuit against oil companies for contributing to global warming-related damage in Colorado. Three local government entities argued before state court that they faced substantial and rising costs to prot...
This Article argues that growing private efforts to address climate change collectively take on the attributes and functions of a governance system that could be vital to societal decarbonization. Instead of evaluating specific initiatives or actions of particular businesses, it explores the entire field of private climate action and offers new ways of thinking about the path ahead.
It is now scientifically proven that climate change is causing disruptions to the world at large. These slow-motion consequences threaten most coastal areas around the world, especially the Pacific Island nations. Scientists predict that climate change will cause the forced displacement of people; desertification; protracted destructive wildfires; sea-level rise; ocean acidification; extreme weather events; and severe drought, which then impacts the supply of food.
A district court remanded back to state court Massachusetts' consumer protection lawsuit concerning an oil company's accounting of climate change risks. The state argued that the company misled and deceived its investors and consumers about the climate risks of fossil fuel products, and moved to rem...
The Ninth Circuit affirmed in part a district court ruling granting California counties' and cities' motions to remand to state court a lawsuit against oil companies alleging nuisance and other causes of action arising from the role of fossil fuel products in global warming. The companies argued the...
The Ninth Circuit vacated and remanded a district court ruling denying San Francisco's and Oakland's motion to remand to state court a lawsuit alleging that oil companies make and sell products that create a public nuisance—sea-level rise—when combusted. The cities argued the district court erre...
This Article highlights the role of advocates in pushing government to step up to the challenges of reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and remaining steadfast through continued policy enforcement. The authors, who participated in the development of the Massachusetts Global Warming Solutions Act, provide insights regarding climate legislation, regulation, and litigation in a state committed to addressing climate change.
The year 2015 marked a new era in climate efforts under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change when the nations of the world signed a new implementing agreement in Paris, France.
A district court stayed an environmental group's climate change lawsuit against an oil company concerning a CWA permit for its petroleum storage facility in Massachusetts. The group argued that the permit required the company to consider predictable weather patterns, including flooding and severe st...
We must substantially reduce carbon emissions within a short time line, and this rapid decarbonization will cause negative economic and social impacts on workers and communities dependent upon fossil fuel extraction and use. “Just transition” often refers to addressing the needs of those communities, but an equitable transition into a low-carbon future should also take into account environmental justice communities that have suffered from disproportionate exposure to environmental hazards and that could and should benefit from job creation.