The president issued Executive Order No. 14072, Strengthening the Nation's Forests, Communities, and Local Economies; among other things, the order directs federal agencies to inventory old-growth and mature forests on federal lands and develop policies to protect them from threats like wildfire and climate change, and to develop a federal goal for meeting agency-specific reforestation targets by 2030.
NMFS announced the availability of and seeks comment on draft Climate Science Regional Action Plans designed to increase the production, delivery, and use of climate-related information in its stewardship of the nation's marine resources.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration finalized revised fuel economy standards for passenger cars and light trucks for model years 2024-2025 that increase at a rate of eight percent per year, and increase at a rate of 10 percent per year for model year 2026 vehicles.
EPA seeks comment on a proposed analysis of the life-cycle greenhouse gas emissions associated with certain biofuels that are produced from canola oil; the Agency proposed to approve these fuel pathways, making them eligible to generate renewable identification numbers.
The Securities and Exchange Commission proposed amendments to its rules that would require registrants to provide certain climate-related information in their registration statements and annual reports under the Securities Act of 1933 and Securities Exchange Act of 1934.
Efforts to hold major greenhouse gas emitters accountable for the harms caused by global climate change have been consistently frustrated at the procedural stages of litigation in U.S. federal courts. This Article explores using a combination of class action mechanisms to engage with these threshold barriers and hold carbon-major corporations responsible for climate impacts.
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.
CEQ seeks feedback on the beta version of the Climate and Economic Justice Screening Tool, which identifies communities that exhibit conditions of underinvestment in energy, transit, housing and water infrastructure, disproportionate pollution burden, and job training and employment, as directed by Executive Order No. 14008, Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad.