Publications

12 posts

Developments in Opposition to Renewable Energy Facilities Through December 2023

Local opposition has proven to be a significant barrier to the rapid expansion of renewable energy facilities across the United States. A new edition of the Sabin Center’s Opposition to Renewable Energy Facilities in the United States report identifies 378 renewable energy projects across 47 states that have encountered significant opposition. […]

Recommendations to Update the Antitrust Guidelines for Competitor Collaborations

Today, the Sabin Center for Climate Change Law and the Columbia Center on Sustainable Investment jointly published a new report: Recommendations to Update the FTC and DOJ’s Guidelines for Collaboration Among Competitors. The guidelines help firms understand the antitrust principles and boundaries of any collaborations they may undertake with other […]

Rebutting 33 False Claims About Solar, Wind, and Electric Vehicles

Achieving the United States’ ambitious emissions reduction goals depends in large part on the rapid adoption of wind and solar energy and the electrification of consumer vehicles. However, misinformation and coordinated disinformation about renewable energy is widespread and threatens to undermine public support for the transition. In a new report, […]

Removing Carbon Dioxide Through Artificial Upwelling and Downwelling: Legal Challenges and Opportunities

  In a report published last month, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) warned that, to keep global average temperatures within 1.5oC above pre-industrial levels, greenhouse gas emissions must reach net zero by mid-century. According to the IPCC, to achieve net zero emissions, carbon dioxide removal (CDR) will be […]

New Sabin Center White Paper Assesses the New York State Executive Branch’s Authority to Enact a Moratorium on the Permitting of Consolidated Proof-of-Work Cryptocurrency Mining Facilities

By Jacob Elkin As cryptocurrency has increased in popularity and cryptocurrency mining facilities have expanded their energy consumption, some fossil fuel power plants in New York have ramped up energy generation to provide behind-the-meter power to cryptocurrency miners. Increased power generation to fuel cryptocurrency mining has significant environmental impacts, leading […]

Using Smart Surfaces to Reduce Heat and Promote Equity in Urban Areas: New Sabin Center White Paper

The summer of 2021 underscored that we are all affected by climate change impacts, whether in the form of heatwaves, fires, or extreme flooding. But some Americans are more affected than others. Urban centers are hotter than rural areas due to urban heat island effect, a phenomenon caused by pavement, […]

Attribution Science in Takings Litigation: A New White Paper

  As with almost all climate litigation, science plays a central role in climate cases brought under the Takings Clause of the United States’ and many state constitutions. The cases filed to date have involved claims that challenge the constitutionality of both adaptation and mitigation measures. For instance, real estate […]

Trump Administration’s Efforts to Roll Back Climate Protections Haven’t Gotten Far and May Not Last, New Report Reveals

The Trump administration has undertaken a sweeping portfolio of actions aimed at weakening federal climate protections and promoting the development and use of fossil fuels. A new report from Columbia Law School’s Sabin Center for Climate Change Law takes a critical look at what this effort has actually accomplished. It […]