Guest Blog: Implementing KlimaSeniorinnen: Evaluating the Initial Swiss Response

What happens after a landmark climate case? This question has repeatedly been posed following the European Court of Human Rights’ climate rulings of 9 April 2024, and specifically its much-discussed KlimaSeniorinnen judgment. Certain initial steps – or rather, missteps – by the domestic authorities in response to the judgment have […]

In a Devolving Legal and Political Landscape, Cities are the Federal Government’s Secret Weapon on Climate

Cities are often considered a niche focus for those who work in climate policy – a third level of government not directly captured in our country’s federal-state dichotomy, one occasionally commended for “stepping up” or showing “leadership” in the absence of climate action by Congress or in many states. There […]

New Sabin Center Report Maps Climate Cases in the Global South

In recent years, climate litigation has witnessed a surge in cases across the world. While scholarly interest has predominantly focused on cases from the Global North, attention to litigation originating in the Global South has been lacking, yet crucial in understanding the broader climate litigation landscape. Today, the Sabin Center […]

View of Earth taken during ISS Expedition 65, by Astronaut Shane Kimbrough.

Removing Methane from the Atmosphere: New Sabin Report on Atmospheric Methane Destruction via Oxidation Enhancement

A highly potent greenhouse gas, methane makes a significant contribution to climate change, but has historically received relatively little attention in climate mitigation discussions. That is now beginning to change. In addition to investigating new ways to control methane emissions, scientists are also researching the possibility of removing methane already […]

Cities, E-commerce & Public Health: 3 Legal Pathways to Limiting Freight Vehicle Emissions

A new Sabin Center white paper is linked here. In recent years, cities have become increasingly defined by e-commerce – the sprawling network of goods delivery from central warehouses to neighborhood distribution centers to residents’ front doors. This growing network of warehouses and the freight vehicles that serve them contribute […]

Climate Change, Health Impacts, and State Obligations under International Law

  The Sabin Center has recently published two reports on the connection between climate change, health impacts, and State obligations under international law. These reports are aimed at providing insights on issues to be analyzed by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in its upcoming advisory opinion on climate change, […]

Sabin Center Files Amicus Brief Supporting New York City’s Motion to Appeal in Local Law 97 Case

On June 20th, 2024, the Sabin Center filed an amicus brief in support of the City of New York’s Motion for Leave to Appeal to the New York State Court of Appeals in Glen Oaks Village Owners, Inc., et al. v. City of New York. Glen Oaks – a 2022 […]

‘Relevant Rules’ as Normative Environment: Harmony vs Cacophony in the ITLOS Advisory Opinion on Climate Change

On 21 May 2024, the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) delivered its much anticipated Advisory Opinion on Climate Change. Other blog-posts have already dealt with various aspects of the Advisory Opinion (see, for instance, here and here), including the Tribunal’s approach to interpreting the United Nations […]