Winter / Spring 2021 A Summary of the Key Activities of the Sabin Center for Climate Change Law
A Summary of the Key Activities of the Sabin Center for Climate Change Law
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Contents Summary . .
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Projects . . Events . .
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Media Mentions and Interviews . Awards and Recognition .
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Earth Institute /Columbia Climate School . Who We Are . .
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Since its creation in 2009, the Sabin Center for Climate Change Law has been known as a center of expertise, providing timely information and resources on key topics and promoting advances in the interrelated fields of climate law, environmental regulation, energy regulation and natural resources law. The Center’s activities are spearheaded by Michael Gerrard, Faculty Director of the Sabin Center and Andrew Sabin Professor of Professional Practice at Columbia Law School, and Michael Burger, Executive Director of the Sabin Center and Senior Research Scholar and Lecturerin-Law at Columbia Law School.The core mission of the Sabin Center is to develop and promulgate legal techniques to address climate change, and to train the next generation of lawyers who will be leaders in the field. The Sabin Center is both a partner to and resource for public interest legal institutions engaged in climate change work. Further, the Center addresses a critical need for the systematic development of legal techniques to fight climate change outside of the realm of litigation, and the compilation and dissemination of information for lawyers in the public, private, academic and NGO sectors.
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Winter/Spring 2021
Summary With the Biden-Harris administration in office since January 2021, the Sabin Center’s work has shifted once again, from a focus on COVID-19 and the Trump administration’s deregulatory agenda to the renewed federal government commitment to climate action and ongoing climate developments at the state and local level, in the private sector, and in the courts. The Sabin Center is now keeping track of the Biden-Harris administration’s efforts to undo Trump’s attacks on environmental law and science through a recently launched Climate Reregulation Tracker, alongside our numerous online resources and our Climate Law Blog. More generally, the Sabin Center continues to conduct independent research to produce publications and useful resources; advances new techniques and direct engagement; and partners with agencies, NGOs, and the private sector to promote climate action.
Cross-cutting Issues & Initiatives
Energy Law
Environmental & Land Use Law
International & Foreign Law
A Summary of the Key Activities of the Sabin Center for Climate Change Law
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Projects The Sabin Center currently focuses its work within four programmatic areas: Cross-cutting Issues & Initiatives, Energy Law, Environmental & Land Use Law, and International & Foreign Law. The Center’s thought leadership and direct engagement operate at the international, national, state and local levels.
Cross-cutting Issues & Initiatives Climate change cuts across law and policy domains, engaging governments, courts, businesses, scientists and others in multiple and overlapping ways. Our current cross-cutting efforts track and assess climate litigation, provide legal pathways to deep decarbonization, engage with cities to find legal answers to questions raised by policy innovations, provide pro bono legal representation to supporters of utility-scale renewable energy projects, and stand up for climate science and environmental justice. Climate Change Litigation
The Sabin Center tracks and analyzes U.S. and global climate change litigation and submits amicus briefs in certain cases. Talks
• Michael Burger spoke on Climate Litigation and Liability at the Climate Change Investment Academy hosted by AllianceBernstein and the Earth Institute. • Daniel Metzger gave a presentation as part of the launch event for the United Nations Environment Programme Finance Initiative’s Principles for Sustainable Insurance TCFD pilot project. • Daniel Metzger spoke on a panel entitled “Demanding Climate Accountability” organized by the Youth Climate Action Summit. • Michael Gerrard gave video lectures on climate litigation to the University of Milano Bicocca and global employees of Standard & Poors, and spoke on a program, “Private Enforcement and Environmental Law: Civil Society
Organizations, Public Interests, and Accountability,” sponsored by the University of Chicago Law School. Publications
• Michael Burger and Daniel Metzger authored the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Global Climate Litigation Report: 2020 Status Review (January 2021). • Michael Burger and Daniel Metzger contributed the analysis of litigation risk in the insurance industry in the UNEP FI report, Insuring the Climate Transition: Enhancing the Insurance Industry’s Assessment of Climate Change Futures. • Michael Gerrard’s chapter, “Climate Change Litigation in the United States: High Volume of Cases, Mostly About Statutes,” was published in Climate Change Litigation: Global Perspectives. Defending Climate Science
The Sabin Center, partnering with the Climate Science Legal Defense Fund, has documented more than 400 attacks on science since the launch of our joint database, the Silencing Science Tracker. Since the BidenHarris administration has taken office this year, we continue to catalog the new administration’s efforts to undo the Trump administration’s anti-science actions. We are also continuing to track anti-science actions at the state and local levels. Publications
• Biden’s first 100 days: Where he stands on Science, The Hill, op-ed by Romany Webb and Lauren Kurtz (April 2021)
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Winter/Spring 2021
Legal Pathways to Deep Decarbonization (LPDD)
The Sabin Center and Widener University’s Commonwealth Law School’s Environmental Law & Sustainability Center maintains the Model Laws for Deep Decarbonization in the United States website, which provides policy makers at the federal, state and local levels with the legal tools needed to transition away from fossil fuels. More than twenty pro bono law firms are at work drafting additional model laws as part of this project. The Sabin Center is cooperating with legal scholars in Brazil and Australia who are undertaking similar projects in those countries. Talks
• Michael Gerrard presented webinars concerning the Legal Pathways to Deep Decarbonization Project held by the New York City Bar Association; the Oregon Bar Association; the Law Firm Sustainability Network; the Sustainable Development Solutions Network; and the University of Oregon Law School. Negative Emissions
Reducing or even eliminating future greenhouse gas emissions will not, by itself, be sufficient to avoid catastrophic climate change. It will also be necessary to remove previously emitted greenhouse gases from the atmosphere, and store or utilize them in some way. This can be done using a range of so-called “negative emission technologies.” The Sabin Center conducts research on legal issues associated with the development and use of negative emissions technologies. Talks
• Romany Webb moderated a panel discussion on “Legal and Political Aspects of Ocean CDR” hosted by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.
• Romany Webb participated in a panel on “Economic and Social Science Issues” associated with carbon removal at the AirMiners’ Annual Conference. Engagement
• The Sabin Center continued its participation in a four-year study, funded by the Pacific Institute for Climate Solutions, to develop an integrated negative emissions system that removes carbon dioxide from the atmosphere using direct air capture technology and permanently sequesters it in sub-seabed geologic formations. • The Sabin Center continued its participation in a Columbia World Projects study exploring the feasibility of storing billions of metric tons of carbon dioxide offshore in the subseabed. • Romany Webb was appointed to the Project Advisory Council for an Aspen Institute project aimed at developing a code of conduct for ocean carbon dioxide removal. Publications
• The Law of Enhanced Weathering for Carbon Dioxide Removal:Volume 2— Legal Issues Associated With Materials Sourcing, by Romany M. Webb (March 2021) • The Legal Framework for Offshore Carbon Capture and Storage in Canada, by Romany Webb and Michael B. Gerrard (February 2021) • Removing Carbon Dioxide Through Ocean Alkalinity Enhancement and Seaweed Cultivation: Legal Challenges and Opportunities, by Romany Webb, Korey Silverman and Michael B. Gerrard (February 2021)
A Summary of the Key Activities of the Sabin Center for Climate Change Law
Cities Climate Law Initiative
This Initiative helps U.S. cities achieve their climate mitigation commitments by addressing critical gaps or obstacles to advancing implementation. Talks
• Amy Turner gave presentations at the New England Green Building Conference on all-electric construction, with Crauderueff Solar on regulatory barriers to solar energy in New York City, and with C40 Cities on electrification of ride-hailing vehicles. Engagement
• Amy Turner worked with several cities on legal questions relating to building decarbonization, natural gas transition issues and decarbonization of for-hire and delivery vehicles. • Together with ICLEI USA, Amy Turner launched the Cities Climate Law Clinic, a series of five closed-door sessions with city personnel to discuss legal questions relating to emerging city climate policy topics. • Amy Turner continued to engage with working groups such as the Smart Surfaces Coalition, a working group on appliance standards and the Renewable Heat Now coalition. Renewable Energy Legal Defense Initiative (RELDI)
The Renewable Energy Legal Defense Initiative (RELDI) provides pro bono legal representation to community groups and local residents who support renewable energy development in their communities. Engagement
• RELDI currently represents farmers hoping to host renewable energy facilities on their property in two ongoing cases: one in the New York Supreme Court challenging a restrictive wind energy ordinance enacted
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in Portland, New York; and a proceeding before the New York Siting Board on a proposed 100-megawatt solar facility. It has been representing Win with Wind, an organization in East Hampton, New York that is supporting an offshore wind farm that is facing local opposition. RELDI also wrote letters urging local governments in Illinois and Michigan to reject ordinances that would prevent the development of wind or solar energy. Publications
• RELDI published a resource bank of studies on the impacts of renewable energy facilities. • Opposition to Renewable Energy Facilities in the United States, Kate Marsh, Neely McKee and Maris Welch, Hillary Aidun lead coordinator (February 2021). Environmental Justice
Climate change has made clear that diversity increases the power of potential solutions and the resilience to adverse impacts—for ecosystems, social systems, economic systems and their various hybrids and combinations.As part of our Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Anti-Racism Plan, the Sabin Center is committed to developing content and engaging in environmental issues faced by vulnerable communities. Talks
• Hillary Aidun appeared on a panel hosted by the New York City Bar Association about the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act and environmental justice. Engagement
• Michael Gerrard, Ama Francis and Hillary Aidun worked with WE ACT (West Harlem Action for Environmental Justice) on issues related to the Transportation Climate Initiative.
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Publications
• Michael Gerrard’s article “Emerging State-Level Environmental Justice Laws” appeared in the New York Law Journal on May 13, 2021. • Michael Gerrard co-authored the chapter on environmental justice for a new edition of the book Environmental Aspects of Real Estate and Commercial Transactions. • The Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act’s Environmental Justice Promise, by Hillary Aidun, Julia Li & Antonia Pereira (April 2021).
Environmental & Land Use Law Decreasing greenhouse gas emissions and increasing resilience to climate impacts involve use of existing environmental, natural resource, and land use laws.They also demand creation of new approaches. Our current efforts focus on federal, state, and local laws and regulations related to air pollution; environmental impact assessment; public lands management; and zoning and land use controls. Adaptation & Resilience
As well as taking steps to mitigate climate change, humanity must also find ways to adapt to it. The Sabin Center conducts research into how existing laws and regulations can be used to promote short and longer-term adaptation efforts within government and the private sector. Talks
• Michael Gerrard spoke about electric utility resilience to the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Hazard Mitigation Partners Workshop. Engagement
• The Sabin Center, City of New York, Environmental Defense Fund, and Natural Resources Defense Council filed a petition with the New York Public Service Commission requesting that it direct every major utility in the state to prepare a
climate vulnerability study to identify where and under what conditions its assets and operations are at risk from the impacts of climate change. • The Sabin Center and Environmental Defense Fund filed joint comments in the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s proceeding on climate change, extreme weather, and electric system reliability. • Michael Gerrard serves on an advisory panel to Consolidated Edison Co. to assist in implementation of the recommendations of its climate change vulnerability study. • Ama Francis and Michael Burger served on the steering committee for the Earth Institute’s conference, Managed Coastal Retreat. Publications
• Climate Risk in the Electricity Sector: Legal Obligations to Advance Climate Resilience Planning by Electric Utilities, by Romany Webb, Michael Panfil and Sarah Ladin (December 2020). • Without planning, climate change will bring more Texas-style blackouts, The Hill, op-ed by Romany Webb and Michael Panfil (February 2021). Clean Air Act
The Environmental Protection Agency has authority under the Clean Air Act to regulate mobile and stationary sources of greenhouse gases. The Sabin Center has been active in informing and defending EPA’s affirmative regulations, in advocating for more ambitious action and in opposing deregulation by theTrump administration. Engagement
• Hillary Aidun and Michael Burger filed an amicus brief on behalf of local governments in Competitive Enterprise Institute v. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the case challenging the Trump administration’s rollback of the federal clean car standards.
A Summary of the Key Activities of the Sabin Center for Climate Change Law
Biden Administration Policy
Talks
• Michael Gerrard gave a video lecture to the Cambridge Centre for Environmental, Energy and Natural Resource Governance, on the topic “The Emerging and Promised Climate Change Policies of the Biden Administration.” • Michael Gerrard spoke about how the Biden Administration’s environmental policies will affect New York, at the New York City Bar Association’s annual New York Environmental Law in Year program. Publications
• Michael Gerrard’s issue brief “Presidential Progress on Climate Change: Will the Courts Interfere With What Needs to be Done to Save Our Planet?” was published by the American Constitution Society.
Energy Law The Sabin Center seeks to advance the decarbonization of the energy sector and to encourage a more rational accounting of climate change-related impacts of energy use in the U.S. and elsewhere. Our current efforts focus on federal, state, and local laws and regulations related to clean energy development and integration, public utility regulation, and the extraction, transport, and consumption of fossil fuels. Talks
• Romany Webb moderated a panel on “Preparing the U.S. Energy System for the Impacts of Climate Change: Legal Tools to Advance Energy Sector Climate Resilience” hosted by the American Bar Association. • The Sabin Center co-hosted and Romany Webb participated in a panel discussion on “The Rising Impacts of Climate Change: Implications for Science, Law, Capital Markets, and Policy.”
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• Romany Webb moderated a panel on “Obstacles and Opportunities for Renewable Energy Projects” hosted by the Environmental Law Institute. • Korey Silverman-Roati participated in a panel discussion on “Cuba-US Working Together Again: Lessons from Environmental Cooperation” hosted by Columbia’s Institute of Latin American Studies and others. Engagement
• The Sabin Center co-hosted virtual meetings of the International Regulatory Futures Forum. The Forum brings together top energy regulators from the U.S., Europe, and Australia to discuss emerging issues in energy system decarbonization. • The Sabin Center filed comments in the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s Notice of Inquiry on natural gas pipeline certification. • Michael Gerrard is serving as a consortium chair for the America’s Zero Carbon Action Plan project. • Jennifer Danis, as counsel to the New Jersey Conservation Foundation (NJCF), submitted comments to the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (NJBPU), setting out recommendations for NJBPU to use when examining how to plan for New Jersey utilities to transition away from gas. • The Sabin Center, NJCF, the Watershed Institute, Clean Air Council, PennFuture, and the New Jersey League of Conservation Voters submitted comments recommending changes to FERC’s Gas Act Section 7 certification policy, including assessing economic need, accounting for climate impacts and protecting environmental justice communities when reviewing gas infrastructure proposals.
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Winter/Spring 2021
International & Foreign Law Climate change is a global problem that demands a global response. The Sabin Center provides legal support for and participates in international efforts to address the causes and effects of climate change. We also track how foreign jurisdictions are addressing climate change through legal reforms and litigation. Human Rights and Climate Change
Climate change poses a very real threat to the enjoyment of human rights: sea level rise, heat waves, floods, drought, and other effects can cause death and injury, displace people from their homes, undermine food and water security, and otherwise interfere with the lives, health, and well-being of millions of people. The Sabin Center’s research explores how international human rights law can be used to enhance mitigation ambition and protect people from these effects.
Talks
• Ama Francis spoke at the Temple Law Symposium, A Gathering Wave: Emerging Legal and Policy Implications of Climate Migration. Her symposium paper titled “Global Southerners in the North” is forthcoming in Temple Law Review. • Michael Gerrard spoke on climateinduced migration and human trafficking to St. Boniface Social Justice Action of the Brooklyn Oratory parishes, and to a Hofstra University conference. Publications
• Regional Paper for the Global Governance of Environmental Mobility: Latin America & the Caribbean, by Ama Ruth Francis. • Climate Change and Its Impact on Urbanization in Mexico & Central America, co-authored by Ama Ruth Francis and Alex de Sherbinin et al.
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Events From January 2021–May 2021, the Center sponsored, co-sponsored and participated in numerous online events and conferences. Here are some highlights:
• Building Power in the Environmental Movement Series: Environmental Justice and New York’s Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act: In this series hosted by the New York City Bar Association and co-sponsored by the Sabin Center, Center for Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging at NYU Law School, Green 2.0, Institute for Policy Integrity, and State Energy & Environmental Impact Center at NYU Law School, experts discussed the opportunities and challenges presented by New York’s new Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act. Speakers included Annel Hernandez (New York City Environmental Justice Alliance) and Raya Salter (New York State Climate Action Council).
• New York Environmental Law Year in Review 2020: This event, co-sponsored by the Sabin Center and The NYC Bar Association’s Environmental Law Committee, reviewed significant developments in New York State and New York City environmental law over the past year. The panel discussion was moderated by Margaret Barry and featured speakers Thomas S. Berkman (New York State
Department of Environmental Conservation), Michael B. Gerrard, Daphany Rose Sanchez (Kinetic Communities Consulting), Philip Weinberg (Columbia University) and Melissa Iachán (New York Lawyers for the Public Interest).
• Climate Change Symposium: The 2021 Climate Change Symposium, hosted by the Columbia Journal of Environmental Law and co-sponsored by the Sabin Center, the Earth Institute, and Sive Paget & Riesel LLP, featured presentations by Randall Abate and Shana Jones & J. Scott Pippin.
• Getting the Gas Sector’s Energy Transition Underway: In this webinar hosted by the Sabin Center, The Institute for Policy Integrity, and The State Energy & Environment Impact Center, officials from states discussed the gas sector’s energy transition by sharing their distinct perspectives and insights about the path forward. E&E News reporter Niina Farah moderated the panel.
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Winter/Spring 2021
• Protection and Management of New York’s Natural Resources: The Sabin Center and the New York League of Conservation Voters Education Fund held the fourth virtual roundtable in a series on implementing the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act.
• Youth Climate Litigation: Fighting for the Future: The Sabin Center and CLS Environmental Law Society co-hosted this virtual panel discussion, moderated by Professor Michael Burger, featuring speakers Camila Bustos and Alex Loznak. Other events • The Sabin Center hosted the Ninth Annual Sabin Colloquium on Innovative Environmental Law Scholarship (on-line). • Climate and the Constitution • 2nd Annual Earth Day Climate Change Symposium
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Publications The Sabin Center produces papers, surveys and other legal resources, and its members edit and co-author books with other climate law and energy experts from around the globe. Our website at climate.law.columbia.edu contains landing pages for each of our program areas, which include links to relevant projects, publications, and other resources. In addition, the Center publishes the Climate Law Blog and maintains a growing presence on social media, including on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn, as well as a YouTube channel. Highlights Law Journal Articles
• Jennifer Danis & Michael Bloom, Taking from States: Sovereign Immunity’s Preclusive Effect on Private Takings of State Land, 32 Stan. L. & Pol’y Rev. 59 (2020).
• Ama Ruth Francis Migrants Can Make International Law, Harvard Environmental Law Review,Vol.45, (2021).
Books/Book Chapters
• Michael Gerrard co-authored the chapter on environmental justice for a new edition of the book Environmental Aspects of Real Estate and Commercial Transactions.
• Michael Gerrard’s chapter, “Climate Change Litigation in the United States: High Volume of Cases, Mostly About Statutes,” was published in Climate Change Litigation: Global Perspectives.
Sabin Center Papers
• The Law of Enhanced Weathering for Carbon
• Principles of International Law and the
Dioxide Removal: Volume 2—Legal Issues Associated With Materials Sourcing,
Adoption of a Market-Based Mechanism for Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Shipping,
by Romany M. Webb (March 2021)
by Hillary Aidun, Daniel J. Metzger and Michael B. Gerrard (February 2021)
• The Legal Framework for Offshore Carbon Capture and Storage in Canada, by Romany Webb and Michael B. Gerrard (February 2021) • Removing Carbon Dioxide Through Ocean Alkalinity Enhancement and Seaweed Cultivation: Legal Challenges and Opportunities, by Romany Webb,
Korey Silverman and Michael B. Gerrard (February 2021)
• Climate Risk in the Electricity Sector: Legal Obligations to Advance Climate Resilience Planning by Electric Utilities,
by Romany Webb, Michael Panfil and Sarah Ladin (December 2020)
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Winter/Spring 2021
Highlights from the Climate Law Blog
• Will FERC’s New Chair Bring a New Approach to Natural Gas Pipeline Approvals? Co-authored by Romany
Webb and Jennifer Danis • Climate Reregulation: Three Months In, by Hillary Aidun • Community Group Welcomes Step Forward for Offshore Wind in New York,
by Hillary Aidun • When State Preemption of Local Climate Laws Undermines Equity, by Amy Turner • Net-zero Stretch Code: A New Model for Municipal Building Decarbonization in Massachusetts, by Amy Turner
• The Second Circuit Takes on Clean Air Act’s International Air Pollution Provision and Climate Change, by Michael Burger
• Climate Rules Built to Last, by Michael Burger
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Media Mentions and Interviews Sabin Center experts were interviewed and/ or quoted directly or mentioned via one of the products produced by the Center in approximately 80 media and news items. Highlights • A Court Ruled Shell is Liable for Its Contributions to Climate Change. What Happens Now? Rolling Stone
Michael Burger comments on the implications of the Shell climate case’s historic victory, stating that “this is the first time that a court of law has drawn a clear connection between a fossil-fuel company’s business…and the threats to human rights that results from climate change impacts…”
• How Youth Climate Court Cases Became a Global Trend, Climate Home News In light of the German Supreme Court’s ruling that the country’s climate law falls short, Hillary Aidun weighs in on the global trend “of youth plaintiffs seeking to vindicate their rights as well as the rights of future generations.” • Restoring Environmental Rules Rolled Back by Trump Could Take Years, The New York Times
• Biden’s Ambitious Climate Plan Faces Test in Congress, Reuters In this T.V. interview, Michael Gerrard weighs in on Biden’s climate plan and the legal process to undo Trump’s deregulatory actions.
In this article, Michael Gerrard explains what it will take for the E.P.A. to restore the Waters of the United States rule, which the previous Trump administration replaced by a rule that stripped away protections of the wetlands and smaller water bodies.
• Texas is a Reminder: We’re Much More
• After Championing Greener Building Codes, Local Governments Lose Right to Vote,
Willing to Pay for Cures Than Prevention, The Washington Post
In this article, Romany Webb explains why the decisions made in Texas by electric utilities in the face of extreme weather events are based on inadequate analyses. • ‘Seismic Shift’ at FERC Could Kill Natural Gas Pipelines, E&E News Jennifer Danis comments on FERC’s decision to assess the proposed PennEast pipeline’s contribution to climate change and its implications for natural gas infrastructure. • Court Tosses NYC Climate Liability Case, E&E News
Korey Silverman-Roati comments on the federal appeals court’s dismissal of the New York City’s climate case seeking compensation for climate change costs from five fossil fuel companies.
Huffpost
In this article, Amy Turner comments on the decision stripping local governments of their right to vote on future energyefficiency codes. • Business Needs to Undo Trump’s Most Disastrous Climate Decisions – Fast, Vox In this article, Michael Burger outlines the Biden administration’s environmental re-regulatory next steps. It also cites the Sabin Center’s newly launched Climate Reregulation Tracker. • Joe Biden’s Immigration Policy Could Give Thousands of Climate Migrants Status, Vice
In this article, Ama Francis explains that she does not expect Biden’s first set of reforms to explicitly mention climate displaced persons.
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Winter/Spring 2021
Awards and Recognition On April 23, Michael Burger and Hillary Aidun received an Amicus Service Award from the International Municipal Lawyers Association for their amicus brief in Union of Concerned Scientists v. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The Law and Science of Climate Change Attribution by Michael Burger, Jessica Wentz and Radley Horton was recognized as one of the top several environmental law articles in the previous year and selected for publication in the Environmental Law and Policy Annual Review (ELPAR). Radley Horton and Michael Burger spoke about their paper at the ELPAR conference. Climate Change, FERC, and Natural Gas Pipelines: The Legal Basis For Considering Greenhouse Gas Emissions Under Section 7 of the Natural Gas Act by Romany Webb was selected for inclusion in the Environmental Law and Policy Annual Review (ELPAR) annual top 20 articles list. Online Resources Community Risk and Resiliency Act, and Accelerated Renewable Energy Growth and Community Benefit Act.
• New York City Climate Law Tracker In July, the Sabin Center launched the New York City Climate Law Tracker. It monitors New York City’s progress in implementing the Climate Mobilization Act, a suite of local laws that were enacted in 2019. The most prominent of these is Local Law 97, which places limits on the amount of greenhouse gases that large buildings may emit.
• New York State Climate Law Tracker In July, the Sabin Center also launched the New York State Climate Law Tracker to monitor New York’s progress in implementing its path-breaking Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act, Environmental Justice Law,
• Carbon Dioxide Removal Law Database In October, the Sabin Center, in conjunction with the Center on Global Energy Policy, launched the Carbon Dioxide Removal Law Database, an annotated bibliography of legal materials related to carbon dioxide removal and carbon sequestration and use.
• Climate Attribution Database In November, Michael Burger, Jessica Wentz, and Daniel Metzger, along with our colleague Radley Horton at LDEO launched the Climate Attribution Database. Climate attribution science plays
A Summary of the Key Activities of the Sabin Center for Climate Change Law
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a central role in climate litigation and policy-making. The science is central to legal debates on the causal links between human activities, global climate change, and impacts on human and natural systems.
• Climate Change Litigation Database The Center maintains U.S. and non-U.S. climate litigation charts. (The US database is maintained in collaboration with Arnold & Porter.) The Sabin Center continues to track the growing wave of international and domestic climate change litigation. Our databases of climate change litigation now provide a resource with information and case documents for over 1000 climate change lawsuits from around the world. To subscribe to the Center’s monthly update, contact: columbiaclimate@gmail.com.
• Climate Change Laws of the World The Sabin Center and the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment have collaborated to create an online database of the laws, regulations, policy statements, and other directives issued by national governments, with links to the Sabin Center litigation charts
• Climate Reregulation Tracker The Sabin Center launched the Climate Reregulation Tracker to follow the Biden administration’s progress reinstating and expanding on climate policies that had been rolled back under the previous administration.
• Model Laws for Deep Decarbonization in the United States The Model Laws for Deep Decarbonization in the United States website provides policy makers at the federal, state and local levels with the legal tools needed to transition away from fossil fuels. The website is based on the book, Legal Pathways to Deep Decarbonization in the United States, co-edited by Michael Gerrard and John C. Dernbach.
• Silencing Science Tracker The Silencing Science Tracker is a joint initiative of the Sabin Center and the Climate Science Legal Defense Fund. It tracks government attempts to restrict or prohibit scientific research, education or discussion, or the publication or use of scientific information, since the November 2016 election.
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Earth Institute /Columbia Climate School The Sabin Center is a member center of the Earth Institute/Columbia Climate School at Columbia University, and frequently collaborates with Earth Institute scientists on cutting edge interdisciplinary research. It will become an affiliate of the new Columbia Climate School, which will encompass the Earth Institute and many other existing and new climate-related activities around Columbia University. Michael Gerrard has been deeply involved in the planning for the new Climate School. Campus Sustainability and Climate Action
Michael Gerrard has continued his leadership role in the campus-wide Sustainability Initiative, as co-chair on the Senior Sustainability Advisory Committee, which has launched a new sustainability plan for the period 2021-2030, a comprehensive environmental master plan that will reshape decision-making relating to emissions and energy use on campus.
A Summary of the Key Activities of the Sabin Center for Climate Change Law
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Who We Are
Michael B. Gerrard Faculty Director
Michael Burger Executive Director
Amy Turner Senior Fellow Cities Climate Law Initiative
tel: 212-854-3287 mgerrard@law.columbia.edu
tel: 212-854-2372 mburger@law.columbia.edu
Romany Webb Senior Fellow
Jennifer Danis Senior Fellow
Jessica Wentz Non-Resident Senior Fellow
tel: 212-854-0080 rwebb@law.columbia.edu
tel: 212-854-4585 jdanis@law.columbia.edu
tel: 212-854-0106 jess.wentz@gmail.com
Ama Francis Non-Resident Fellow
Hillary Aidun Climate Law Fellow (2019–21)
Korey Silverman-Roati Climate Law Fellow (2020–22)
tel: 212-854-0106 arf2167@columbia.edu
tel: 212-854-0081 hwa2108@columbia.edu
tel: 520-906-1359 kgs2133@columbia.edu
Daniel Metzger Climate Law Fellow 2020
Tiffany Challe Communications Associate
Kemi Adetayo Program Coordinator
tel: 212-854-7734 djm2244@law.columbia.edu
tel: 212-854-0594 tc2868@columbia.edu
tel: 212-854-8213 aadetayo@law.columbia.edu
tel: 212-854-3268 aturner@law.columbia.edu
W E B . L AW. C O LU M B I A . E D U / C L I M AT E - C H A N G E Columbia Law School Jerome Greene Hall, Room 525 435 West 116th Street New York, New York 10027 tel: 212-854-3287 fax: 212-854-8213
