Monday, a regional Italian court convicted six scientists and a government official of manslaughter for failing to adequately warn local residents prior to the 2009 L’Aquila earthquake that killed 309 people. Defendants have been sentenced to six years in prison and ordered to pay 7.8 million euros ($10.2 million) in […]
Monthly Archives: October 2012
The Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) has benefited the economy of participating states but achieved only modest reductions in greenhouse gas reductions, according to a panel of energy experts convened at Columbia Law School last night. To achieve greater reductions, RGGI should adopt a stricter carbon cap at its three-year […]
by Smita Walavalkar, Legal Fellow. The second of three Presidential debates leading up to the 2012 election, held on on Tuesday Oct. 16, saw contentious sparring between Governor Romney and President Obama over energy dependence, production, and price although neither candidate dared to mention climate change. Both Romney and Obama […]
The Center for Climate Change’s latest publication, Legal Issues in Regulating Imports in State and Regional Cap and Trade Programs, can be found on the Center website, here. As the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) undertakes its 2012 program review, one key consideration is whether to adopt regulations on imported […]
by Alexis Saba, Legal Fellow Three new resources are now available to aid local governments in climate change mitigation and adaptation. ICLEI-Local Governments for Sustainability USA has produced the first ever national standard for municipalities to measure and report greenhouse gas emissions. This standard creates clear, simple guidelines for communities […]
New updates from October to the Center for Climate Change Law and Arnold & Porter Climate Case Chart. Find the complete chart here. FEATURED DECISION Native Village of Kivalina v. ExxonMobil Corp. (9th Cir. Sept. 21, 2012): added to the “common law claims” slide. The Ninth Circuit affirmed the dismissal […]
Yesterday, the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) and National Wildlife Federation filed a petition with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) that would require states to incorporate climate change assessments in their hazard mitigation plans. FEMA administers several federal mitigation grant programs under the Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Management […]
The ongoing trade disputes between the U.S. and China have escalated in recent weeks, with both nations filing new requests for consultations through the Dispute Settlement Body of the World Trade Organization (WTO). While these disputes span a broad range of issues and products, renewable energy technologies have been one […]