The Paris Agreement’s goal to hold warming to 1.5°-2°C above pre-industrial levels now appears unrealistic. Profs. Robin Kundis Craig and J.B. Ruhl have recently argued that because a 4°C world may be likely, we must recognize the disruptive consequences of such a world and respond by reimagining governance structures to meet the challenges of adapting to it.
While climate policy typically focuses on future decarbonization 10 to 20 years out, temperatures continue to rise. Greenhouse gases emitted upfront from the materials fabrication, construction, and renovation of our physical environment—embodied emissions—accelerate the rate of global warming now. They increase atmospheric carbon before our buildings and infrastructure are even used.
The collapse of the Champlain Towers South condominium complex in Surfside, Florida, raised questions about how climate change and environmental impacts may cause damage to coastal buildings. Independent structural issues are suspected to be a major factor in the collapse, but scientists and legal researchers posit that environmental factors also played a role. On December 20, 2021, the Environmental Law Institute hosted a panel of experts that explored the climate risks to coastal communities and buildings in Florida, California, and elsewhere.
A district court granted states’ motion to preliminarily enjoin federal agencies from implementing the Biden Administration’s interim estimates on the social costs of greenhouse gas emissions. The states argued the president lacked authority to promulgate and enforce the estimates or to consider...
The Tenth Circuit affirmed a district court’s order remanding to state court a climate liability lawsuit against fossil fuel companies. Municipalities in Colorado argued in state court that they faced substantial and rising costs from the threat of climate change, to which the companies had substa...
The Alaska Supreme Court affirmed, 3-2, a lower court's dismissal of a climate liability lawsuit brought against the state of Alaska. Alaskans argued the state's natural resource development was contributing to climate change and adversely affecting their lives. The lower court dismissed the suit, c...
Agriculture’s contribution to climate change is much more substantial than official figures suggest. We will not be able to achieve our overall mitigation goals unless agricultural emissions sharply decline. Farms and ranches can be a major part of the climate solution, while protecting biodiversity, strengthening rural communities, and improving the lives of the workers who cultivate our crops and rear our animals. Agriculture climate solutions are critical elements both in ensuring our food security and in limiting climate change.
The rapid transition of energy resources from fossil fuels toward renewables has been widely recognized as an essential tool in mitigating climate change. Yet, renewable energy development projects and facilities can be land use-intensive and have the potential to negatively impact conservation areas. To attempt to tackle these issues, President Joseph Biden signed Executive Order No.
A district court granted Delaware's motion to remand to state court its climate liability lawsuit against fossil fuel companies. Delaware argued it had suffered, and would continue to suffer, damages from climate impacts caused by the companies' denial of and disinformation about the existence, caus...
Courts across the globe recognize that human-induced climate change leads to more frequent and severe extreme weather and other events, resulting in significant damages to persons and property. Although courts have therefore ordered countries and corporations to take more aggressive actions to limit their greenhouse gas emissions, no court has yet required any emitter to pay damages for injuries from a climate changerelated event. Causation issues remain a significant obstacle to such claims.