New Details about the Inflation Reduction Act’s Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund & Takeaways for Cities

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 […]

The Fiduciary Duty of Directors to Manage Climate Risk: An expansion of corporate liability through litigation?

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 […]

Comments on the Draft Fifth National Climate Assessment: Sabin Center Urges Deeper Discussion of Climate Resilience Planning, Barriers to Climate Action by Local Governments, and Other Key Topics

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 […]

At Davos, A Call For Solutions to Climate Migration and a Culture of Welcome Instead of Fear

  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 […]

Sabin Center Urges BOEM to Consider Climate Change Risks to Offshore Wind Projects, as Well as Climate Change Impacts to Wildlife if Offshore Wind Projects Are Not Constructed

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 […]

A review of the first year of the Peer Review Network on Global Climate Litigation 

By Maria Antonia Tigre & Juan Sebastian Castellanos   In December 2021, the Sabin Center launched the Peer Review Network of Global Climate Litigation (Network), through which practitioners and scholars from the around the world act as “rapporteurs” for their jurisdictions, helping to update and maintain the Global Climate Change […]

Recent developments on carbon dioxide removal: Increasing policy support but governance issues remain

Support for carbon dioxide removal (CDR) is growing globally. Governments are, it seems, beginning to listen to the growing chorus of scientists who have warned that deploying CDR is essential to avoid catastrophic climate change. Government funding for research and deployment of CDR is increasing. Many governments are beginning to […]