Legal Planet

JULY 10, 2025

Consider the story of Emma Rose Shore, a UCLA Law student and summer law fellow at the Emmett Institute. “I think this reduction in staff is going to have echoes for years to come,” Dreyfus said. It is not just current and former EPA employees who are feeling discouraged. It’s future ones too. Last October, she got great news.

Climate Change

Law Columbia

JULY 22, 2025

In the 2015 Paris Agreement, the international community agreed to “strengthen the global response to climate change” by limiting the “increase in global average temperatures to well below 2 o C above pre-industrial levels,” and ideally to 1.5 agriculture and fossil fuel production), as well as from natural sources (e.g.,

Paris Agreement

Legal Planet

DECEMBER 3, 2021

So for my last Climate Law and Policy class at UCLA Law this semester, I once again asked my students to tell me what they are thinking about the future of climate policy in light of today’s global circumstances, keeping in mind lessons we’ve learned through the semester. –Jay Parepally, JD 2023. –Sarah Repko, JD 2023.

Climate Change

Legal Planet

AUGUST 10, 2021

C goal of the Paris agreement. So here’s the key question: How much more carbon are we going to load into the atmosphere? This chart shows the emissions trends under some of the key scenarios: Here’s how that translates into temperature: The SSP1-1.9 scenario would keep emissions under the 1.5 °C The SSP2-4.5 C of warming.

Paris Agreement

Real Climate

NOVEMBER 11, 2023

are used all over the world, based on calculations that quantify the effects of physical mechanisms and the way different parts of the atmosphere are connected to each other. The physics-based models describe how energy flows through the atmosphere and ocean, as well as how the forces from different air masses push against each other.

Sea Level

Law Columbia

MAY 22, 2024

On May 21, 2024, the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) delivered a long-awaited Advisory Opinion on climate change and international law. To facilitate discussion and the exchange of ideas, the Sabin Center’s Climate Law Blog and Verfassungsblog are partnering on a blog symposium on the ITLOS opinion.

Climate Change

Law Columbia

MAY 24, 2024

A long-standing conundrum of international environmental law is that the territorially-based, sectoral legal structures we have created to address environmental issues do not match the interconnected, interdependent nature of ecosystems. But even from early on, they were not the sole locus of international climate law.

Paris Agreement

Law Columbia

APRIL 24, 2023

Applicable Law to the ITLOS Advisory Opinion The applicable law for the ITLOS advisory proceedings is determined by Article 293 of UNCLOS. However, ITLOS is not responsible for implementing the UNFCCC or the Paris Agreement. These rules are, in effect, binding norms incorporated into UNCLOS.

Climate Change

Law Columbia

JUNE 4, 2024

Can the new advisory opinion interpreting the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) move us beyond the lethargy of unmet climate change policy needs ? By accepting the COSIS request, ITLOS boldly advanced the international law of climate change to take full account of its harmful impacts on the marine environment.

Climate Change

Law Columbia

JUNE 15, 2024

On 21 May 2024, the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) delivered its much anticipated Advisory Opinion on Climate Change. 133) and iii) Article 31(3)(c) VCLT, according to which account shall be taken of “any relevant rules of international law applicable in the relations between the parties” (para.

Climate Change

Law Columbia

JUNE 7, 2024

That year, oceanographer Roger Revelle and chemist Hans Suess refuted this objection , demonstrating that the oceans’ absorptive capacity had limits and emissions would therefore lead to higher CO2 concentrations in the atmosphere. 223-224), and that anthropogenic emissions of GHGs do indeed constitute marine pollution (para.

Climate Change

Law Columbia

JANUARY 5, 2023

While countries generally do not explicitly reference CDR in their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) submitted to the Paris Agreement, many include the CDR approaches of increasing soil and forest carbon. The Paris Agreement did not reference or define CDR, nor did it define the term “removals.” The Article 6.4

Carbon Dioxide

Law Columbia

JULY 16, 2025

Jus cogens norms are a special kind of customary law. Customary law is created by States through state practice and corresponding opinio iuris. It is generally binding on all states, with limited exceptions for states that have consistently objected to a particular norm of customary international law.

Law

Law Columbia

MAY 29, 2024

The Advisory Opinion handed down by the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) on 21 May 2024 is truly remarkable. Under the United Nations Convention of the Law of the Sea ( UNCLOS ), States must now take all necessary measures to prevent, reduce and control GHG emissions. of the Paris Agreement.

Paris Agreement

Law Columbia

MARCH 15, 2023

Background on Ocean CDR In the Paris Agreement , 193 countries, including the U.S., Scientists have proposed several different ocean CDR techniques that extract carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and durably store it. The techniques are further described in the model law. The model law only applies to research projects.

Carbon Dioxide

Law Columbia

APRIL 18, 2024

Incorporating International Climate Change Law to Maintain the ECHR’s Relevance Amid the Climate Crisis “Everything could be different – and yet there is almost nothing I can change.” C ategorical differences between KlimaSeniorinnen and Court’s existing environmental case law ‘KlimaSeniorinnen’ had thus exhausted all domestic remedies.

Paris Agreement

Legal Planet

DECEMBER 19, 2022

In the 2015 Paris Agreement , Article 8 acknowledged the importance of L&D and the accompanying decision 1/CP.21 The harm-causing actions to which liability attaches are past emissions, ascribed either to nations or enterprises in proportion to their contribution to the present excess atmospheric burden of greenhouse gases.

Climate Change

Law Columbia

APRIL 11, 2024

Carbon budgets are used in two senses in the climate law and policy world. Examples of this sort of carbon budget are found in the United Kingdom’s Climate Change Act 2008 , and the European Union’s European Climate Law ( Regulation (EU) 2021/1119 ). That is both a weakness of the Paris Agreement but also, some would say, its strength.

Paris Agreement

Environmental Science

SEPTEMBER 7, 2018

What is Environmental Law? Humanity has been aware of its environment far longer than there have been laws to protect environments. However, the term “environmental law” does not just cover government legislation. These are not “laws” per se but act as such within a regulatory framework. Useful Environmental Law Terms.

Government

The Energy Law

OCTOBER 5, 2020

By ratifying the 2015 Paris Agreement, [1] nations across the world made a commitment to reducing greenhouse gas emissions by at least 40% by the year 2030. Carbon dioxide is one of the primary greenhouse gases found in the Earth’s atmosphere, accounting for 76% of global greenhouse gas emissions according to published reports.

Carbon Dioxide

Law Columbia

MAY 24, 2024

On May 21, 2024, the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) released its long-awaited advisory opinion on climate change. The first, known as greenhouse gas (GHG) removal , seeks to mitigate climate change by pulling GHGs – most commonly carbon dioxide – out of the atmosphere and durably storing them.

Carbon Dioxide

Law Columbia

MAY 8, 2024

In fact, the impact assessment supporting the Commission’s proposed 2040 target suggests that the EU may need to remove up to 400 million tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere annually by 2040, and significantly more to achieve net-negative emissions after 2050.

Fossil Fuels

The Energy Law

OCTOBER 5, 2020

By ratifying the 2015 Paris Agreement, [1] nations across the world made a commitment to reducing greenhouse gas emissions by at least 40% by the year 2030. Carbon dioxide is one of the primary greenhouse gases found in the Earth’s atmosphere, accounting for 76% of global greenhouse gas emissions according to published reports.

Carbon Dioxide

Law Columbia

MAY 1, 2024

I then consider what compliance with the underlying demands might entail and how it can be achieved in light of Switzerland’s commitments under the World Trade Organization (WTO) and other trade agreements. Embedded Emissions and International Trade Production is a crucial source of anthropogenic GHGs.

Climate Change

Manning Law

JUNE 8, 2020

CO 2 levels in the atmosphere hit an all-time high in early May. Think of the atmosphere as a bathtub, and emissions as the water that flows from the tap. Now is not the time to set aside environmental laws and norms in the name of recovery, as we have seen done in some places. This directly impacts human health and wealth.

2020

Law Columbia

JULY 6, 2017

Each month, Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer LLP (APKS) and the Sabin Center for Climate Change Law collect and summarize developments in climate-related litigation, which we also add to our U.S. A number of different parties had lined up on either side of the issue of whether EPA’s stay was lawful. and non-U.S. United States , No.

2017

Law Columbia

NOVEMBER 9, 2021

These decisions help implement and operationalize the text of the Paris Agreement, much like regulations clarify statutory law. And though it lasts in the atmosphere for shorter period than CO 2 , cutting methane and other short-lived climate pollutants are critical for bending the curve of warming towards a more livable planet.

Paris Agreement

Legal Planet

NOVEMBER 8, 2021

OK, on to methane in the environment: The headline here – whether you’re talking about atmospheric concentrations, climate impacts, or emissions – is that there is a lot less methane than CO 2 , but it’s a more potent climate heater and it’s increasing faster. Atmospheric concentrations. Climate impact. W/m 2 from elevated CO 2.

Atmosphere

Legal Planet

AUGUST 9, 2023

One year on, we have a clearer picture of what we vaguely knew already: the biggest-ever climate law and its robust tax incentives is igniting the clean energy transition but is not moving us off fossil fuels fast enough. Biden is going to be running for reelection on the success of his signature law to rescue the economy and the planet.

Fossil Fuels

Law Columbia

AUGUST 10, 2021

To the extent those sectors continue emitting carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases, those gases will need to be captured prior to release into the atmosphere. to 2 o C target set in the Paris Agreement. Another option is to store the carbon dioxide in a way that prevents its release (or re-release) into the atmosphere.

Carbon Dioxide

Law Columbia

APRIL 21, 2023

International agreements, such as the Paris Agreement, and domestic legislation in the U.S. The IPCC has said that, in addition to reducing emissions, it will likely also be necessary to draw greenhouse gases out of the atmosphere to mitigate climate change. and elsewhere, have also been important in driving change.

Carbon Dioxide

Enviromental Defense

APRIL 19, 2022

Coal power generation must be reduced to 80 per cent below 2010 levels by 2030 and be phased out before 2040 in order to meet targets set out by the Paris Agreement. . Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has acknowledged that the atmosphere does not care where carbon is emitted, and that this pollution impacts us all.

Earth Day

Union of Concerned Scientists

APRIL 18, 2022

According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), 2021 followed the distressing trend of excessive heat, as the sixth hottest year on record (a tie with 2018). degrees Celsius, in line with the Paris Agreement. Photo is author’s own.

Climate Change

Law Columbia

NOVEMBER 7, 2017

Each month, Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer LLP (APKS) and the Sabin Center for Climate Change Law collect and summarize developments in climate-related litigation, which we also add to our U.S. and non-U.S. climate litigation charts. If you know of any cases we have missed, please email us at columbiaclimate at gmail dot com.

2017

Law Columbia

OCTOBER 7, 2019

Each month, Arnold & Porter and the Sabin Center for Climate Change Law collect and summarize developments in climate-related litigation, which we also add to our U.S. South Dakota Federal Court Granted Preliminary Injunction Against Enforcement of Laws Targeting Pipeline Protesters. and non-U.S. climate litigation charts.

2019

Law Columbia

NOVEMBER 21, 2022

International law, which is based on sound scientific evidence , clearly establishes the pressing need for effective mitigation of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. After all, to achieve the main goal of the Paris Agreement , namely keeping the rising global average temperature below 2°C (35.6°F)

Paris Agreement

ESA

APRIL 11, 2022

This latest report looks at mitigation — or what the world can do to stop pumping greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. Despite that scrap, the takeaway remains constant — there is no hope of stopping global warming at the Paris Agreement limits of 1.5 The Magnuson Stevens Act is the main law governing U.S. Halting at 1.5

2022