As the impacts of marine plastic pollution become ever more apparent, a number of states have begun calling for the development of a new international agreement to address the problem. This essay considers which jurisdictional entities should be engaged in the drafting of such an agreement if one should materialize. While nation states have traditionally […]
In April of 2019, the New York City Council passed groundbreaking legislation that caps the amount of greenhouse gases that large building owners can emit, or cause to be emitted, for free. The new law, known as Local Law 97 of 2019 (“Local Law 97”), holds great promise for reducing building energy use, which accounts […]
Thursday, September 5, 2019 6:30 PM – 8:00 PM EDT Faculty Library, Vanderbilt Hall (3rd floor) 40 Washington Square South New York, New York 10012 1 credit of CLE in Areas of Professional Practice Cities’ reliance on motor vehicles imposes myriad public health and environmental challenges. In New York City, for example, officials estimate that […]
The Tokyo Emissions Trading Scheme: Lessons from a Pioneering Jurisdiction In 2010, Tokyo launched a pioneering cap- and-trade program for its buildings known as the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Emissions Trading System (ETS). The Tokyo ETS was innovative both for the scope of sources covered – industrial factories, large public buildings, educational institutions, and large commercial […]
The Japan-led Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPPA) of 2018 is the most far-reaching ‘megaregional’ economic agreement in force, with several major countries beyond its eleven negotiating countries also interested. Still bearing the stamp of the original US involvement before the Trump-era reversal, TPP is the first instance of ‘megaregulation’: a demanding combination of inter-state economic ordering and […]
Tues & Wed, June 11-12, 20198:00am – 5:00 pm Faculty of LawUniversity of CopenhagenNjalsgade 76, DK-2300Copenhagen, Denmark If you are interested in attending, please contact Bryce Rudyk. The Third International TRAMEREN conference seeks to explore environmental governance in the Arctic by examining institutions, actors and interactions in emerging issues in Arctic ocean governance, such as […]
By Danielle Spiegel-Feld and Richard B. Stewart The landmark building-efficiency legislation passed by the City Council this month will go a long way toward meeting the city’s climate goals. But it could impose major costs on owners of large buildings. With expensive retrofits and seven-figure fines looming, the city should allow the required emissions reductions […]
Greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reductions are crucial to combating the threat of climate change. In the absence of significant federal action to address GHG emissions, universities have become laboratories for innovative energy efficiency policy solutions to reduce such emissions. We believe that New York University (NYU) can play a vital role in this movement by […]
By Sara Savarani and Danielle Spiegel-Feld Last week, New York followed California by becoming the second state in the country to ban single-use plastic bags. The prohibition, which was included in the state budget, has been hailed by politicians and environmentalists alike as a major victory for our neighborhoods, parks and waterways that are increasingly […]
Authors: Katrina Wyman and Danielle Spiegel-Feld City governments were an important source of environmental protection in the United States from the 1800s until well into the 1900s. However, since Congress passed a series of landmark environmental statutes in the 1970s, scholars have primarily equated environmental law with federal law. To the extent that scholars consider […]
