For over two decades, various think tanks, politicians, and scientists, among others, have spread misinformation about the causes of climate change and the integrity of climate scientists. Partly because this misinformation campaign has distorted the marketplace of ideas, the United States has not addressed climate change with significant new legislation. Existing causes of action provide no repercussions for climate science misrepresentation, despite the possibly catastrophic consequences that may result if the United States fails to take significant steps to address climate change.

China is now experiencing economic, social, and environmental challenges simultaneously on a massive scale. In response to the dilemma between rapid economic growth and severe environmental deterioration, China’s policymakers are considering introducing the dynamism of sustainable development into the practice of designing and implementing policies consolidated by sustainable development so as to overcome the shortcomings of traditional policies.

The vast majority of scientists agree that in the coming decades, climate change will have profound impacts on the global environment. During this same time, the world population is expected to grow, and many developing regions of the world are poised to become more affluent. These changes will result in increased demand for food and other agricultural products. Modern industrialized agriculture is particularly not well-suited to adapt to the changes that are likely to occur.

Growth-induced land development caused by highway and other projects must be considered as a significant indirect effect under NEPA. For this review, lawyers must look to the regulations adopted by CEQ specifying the causation and foreseeability tests for indirect effects. Several reports discuss procedures for deciding whether a highway could cause growth-induced land development, and recommend a prescreening process to make this decision. Case law also addresses when indirect effects must be considered.

The U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) manages several hundred thousand buildings at over 5,000 sites, using over 30 million acres of land. As stewards of natural resources, DOD is faced with structural and environmental management tasks of monumental proportions. These tasks do not exist in a vacuum and are often integrally related to the surrounding built and natural environments.