Natural Disaster Response

49 posts

India’s Federal and Regional Governments May Not Ignore Disastrous Drought Conditions: Indian Supreme Court

Justin Gundlach Climate Law Fellow In an opinion issued on May 11, 2016, a two-judge panel of India’s Supreme Court chastised that country’s federal and regional governments for their recent responses to severe droughts, which the Court said contravene key provisions of the National Disaster Mitigation Act of 2005 (DM […]

Cities Across the U.S. Support Clean Power Plan in Amicus Brief

by Michael Burger and Justin Gundlach This morning the Sabin Center filed an amicus brief in support of EPA’s Clean Power Plan on behalf of a coalition of local government representatives including the National League of Cities, the U.S. Conference of Mayors, and 54 U.S. cities, counties, and mayors. (Check […]

Attributing Weather Events to Climate Change—the National Academies of Science Weighs in

Justin Gundlach Climate Law Fellow Over the past decade, as the scientific consensus about the fact and nature of anthropogenic climate change has solidified, extreme weather events have destroyed enormous sums of assets, infrastructure investments, and large numbers of human lives. Set against the backdrop of climate change, these events […]

Incorporating Sea Level Rise Into Flood Maps: Advisory Council’s Interim Report to FEMA

Justin Gundlach Climate Law Fellow The Biggert-Waters Flood Insurance Reform Act of 2012 calls for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to incorporate sea level rise into the Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRMs) that inform how FEMA and other agencies implement programs related to flood insurance and flood-related disaster mitigation […]

Designing a Climate Change Displacement Coordination Facility: Key Issues for COP 21

Since the first draft negotiating text was released last spring, the inclusion of a “climate change displacement coordination facility” in the anticipated Paris agreement has been on the table. Recently, in the wake of the migrant crisis in the Middle East and Europe, the prospect has gained some momentum. Yet, […]

Towards an Integrated Approach to Disaster Risk Management and Climate Change Adaptation

by Michael Burger Last week I traveled to Vientiane, Laos, to give a presentation at the National Workshop on Disaster and Climate Change Law. The workshop, convened by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), the International Federation of Red Cross & Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) Disaster Law Program, and the […]

Sabin Center Tours Sites of Groundbreaking Climate Change Resiliency Project in Staten Island

Jennifer M. Klein, Associate Director & Fellow, and Michael Burger, Executive Director Earlier this week, the Sabin Center for Climate Change Law staff and our team of summer interns toured several sites on Staten Island where New York State is implementing innovative storm recovery measures. Staten Island was among the […]