After the initial buzz that follows a winning climate change case, it can be difficult to measure its real-life impact. Many have questioned whether public interest litigation in general, and climate cases in particular, can effect meaningful and lasting change. The answer is probably “it depends.” If launched at the […]
On January 9, 2023, the Foreign Ministers of Chile and Colombia requested an advisory opinion from the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACtHR) on the scope of state obligations for responding to the climate emergency under the frame of international human rights law and, specifically, under the American Convention on […]
This week, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released preliminary program design details for the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund (GGRF) established by Section 60103 of the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). Specifically, the EPA published two “assistance listings” designed to help potential applicants identify funding opportunities. The publication stops short […]
On February 9, 2023, ClientEarth filed a derivative action against the Board of Directors of Shell at the High Court of Justice in England and Wales (ClientEarth v. Shell’s Board of Directors). The lawsuit alleges that the Board has failed to manage material and foreseeable climate risks, therefore breaching UK […]
On January 27, 2023, the Sabin Center submitted comments on the draft Fifth National Climate Assessment (NCA5). Those comments, which are available here, highlighted key gaps in NCA5 and suggested additions and changes to address those gaps. This blog post describes the purpose and scope of the National Climate Assessment […]
From January 16-20, 2023, leaders in politics, business, civil society, media, and academia gathered in Davos, Switzerland, for the World Economic Forum’s Annual Meeting to discuss some of the world’s most pressing issues. This year, I had the honor to participate in two panel discussions on climate migration in […]
The Sabin Center for Climate Change Law posted its Summer/Fall 2022 Semi-Annual Report, which includes a summary of the Center’s key activities between June and December 2022. It is available for download here. Below are some highlights from the report: Michael Gerrard received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the New York […]
In March 2021, the Biden Administration announced a target of deploying 30,000 megawatts (MW) of offshore wind capacity by 2030, enough energy to power approximately 10 million homes. As of May 31, 2022, only 42 MW of offshore wind capacity was in operation, less than 1% of the Administration’s 30,000-MW […]