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Avoiding Another Kyoto: U.S. Legal Pathways for Implementing the IMO’s Greenhouse Gas Pricing Plan

In the next few years, the International Maritime Organization will create the world’s first greenhouse gas (GHG) pricing mechanism to reduce emissions from shipping. The United States may be unable to adopt it legislatively, repeating the events of the Kyoto Protocol. To ease passage, nations agreed to create the mechanism as an amendment to the existing Convention for the Prevention of Pollution From Ships (MARPOL), which a U.S. Secretary of State should be able to unilaterally accept or reject under the expedited amendment procedure of MARPOL’s implementing legislation.

Enlisting Private Law to Regulate Private Climate Adaptation Failure

State and local governments are contending with the challenge of “residual climate risk”—threats posed by private adaptation failures that endanger surrounding communities. While policy tools like municipal ordinances can help address this gap, enforcement challenges, budget constraints, and private-property rights often limit their effectiveness. Meanwhile, federal support for adaptation has significantly declined, forcing state and local governments to explore alternative approaches.

Savior, Villain, or Victim? Considering Climate Change in Hydropower Licensing

In contrast to the large amount of attention that FERC’s consideration of climate change in natural gas permitting has received, there has been relatively little paid to how FERC does and should consider climate change in hydropower permitting. This Comment fills a gap in the literature by analyzing how FERC considers climate change during permitting for hydropower projects.

Foundations of the Endangerment Finding

In 2009, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published what is commonly referred to as the “endangerment finding.” Prompted by the U.S. Supreme Court’s landmark decision in Massachusetts v. Environmental Protection Agency (2007) and reflecting robust science, the finding determined that six key greenhouse gases qualify as air pollution under the Clean Air Act and pose a threat to the health and welfare of future generations.

Saving Nemo: Enhancing CITES to Protect Marine Ornamental Fish

There is a startling lack of global regulation of the marine ornamental trade. The only international legal framework that governs the trade of marine ornamentals is the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). Requirements under Appendix II help prevent traded species from reaching the point where they need stricter protections, while Appendix III targets species that range countries want help controlling in international trade. Yet both of these appendices are poorly equipped to help regulate the marine aquarium trade.

Green Steel and Global Trade: Legal Pathways and Policy Barriers in the Low-Carbon Transition

The iron and steel sector contributes nearly 7% of global anthropogenic GHG emissions. As global climate commitments tighten and industrial decarbonization becomes urgent, green steel, produced using low-carbon alternatives such as green hydrogen and renewable electricity, has emerged as a potential solution. This Comment explores how national and international regulations are shaping the future of green steel, focusing on the interplay between climate policy and trade law.

Public Playgrounds or Private Trusts? The Future of Recreation on State Trust Lands

State trust lands, covering more than 40 million acres across the West, were granted to states with the primary purpose of generating revenue for public schools and other designated beneficiaries. These lands were historically managed for extractive uses such as grazing, timber harvesting, and mineral development. This Article examines how recreation—ranging from hiking and hunting to wildlife viewing and camping—fits within this fiduciary framework.

Examining State Climate Superfund Legislation

There has been an influx of “climate superfund” bills introduced and adopted in state legislatures across the country. Modeled after the federal Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA), these laws are designed to recover costs from large emitters of greenhouse gases (GHGs) to pay for climate adaptation infrastructure.

Climate Action's Antitrust Paradox

An antitrust paradox lies at the heart of private-sector climate commitments. On the right, state attorneys general have warned that they may challenge these collaborations under antitrust laws. On the left, antitrust enforcers in the Biden Administration asserted that these actions will not receive preferential treatment even if they address societal ills that are not being addressed by governments. This Article asks what antitrust law is willing to consider: if prosocial goals are framed in terms of economic harms, should antitrust law view climate action as violating that standard?

Prescribed Fire in Wilderness Areas in a Post-Chevron World

In order to manage California wilderness areas to preserve their natural and untrammeled character, as required by the Wilderness Act, federal land management agencies should adopt interpretations of the Act that allow prescribed burning and Indigenous cultural burning in areas where it existed pre-colonialism.