The Sabin Center for Climate Change Law develops legal techniques to fight climate change, trains law students and lawyers in their use, and provides the public with up-to-date resources on key topics in climate law and regulation. The center works closely with Columbia University's Earth Institute and with governmental, nongovernmental and academic organizations.
Publications from 2022
Article: Liability for Public Deception: Linking Fossil Fuel Disinformation to Climate Damages, Jessica A. Wentz and Benjamin Franta
Article: New York Environmental Legislation in 2021, Michael B. Gerrard and Edward McTiernan
Article: Reframing Global Biodiversity Protection after COVID-19: Is International Environmental Law up to the Task?, Maria Antonia Tigre, Natalia Urzola, and Victoria Lichet
Article: Regulation of Polyfluoroalkyl Chemicals in New York, Michael B. Gerrard and Edward McTiernan
Article: Three New Federal Laws Aid New York’s Compliance With Climate Goals, Michael B. Gerrard and Edward McTiernan
Article: Who Decides Where the Renewables Should Go?: A Response to Danielle Stokes’ Renewable Energy Federalism, Michael B. Gerrard
Paper: A Pause on Proof-of-Work: The New York State Executive Branch's Authority to Enact a Moratorium on the Permitting of Consolidated Proof-of-Work Cryptocurrency Mining Facilities, Jacob Elkin
Paper: Climate Science in Adaptation Litigation in the U.S., Jacob Elkin
Paper: Helping New Jersey State Agencies and Departments Align Their Actions with GHG Reduction Mandates and Environmental Justice Principles, Jennifer Danis and Zoe Makoul
Paper: The Carbon Market and its Regulation in Brazil, Gabriel Wedy, Weber Amaral, and Cacia Pimentel
Report: Evaluating Climate Risk in NEPA Reviews: Current Practices and Recommendations for Reform, Romany M. Webb, Michael Panfil, Stephanie H. Jones, and Dena Adler
Report: Incorporating Climate Change in NEPA Reviews: Recommendations for Reform, Michael Burger, Romany M. Webb, and Jessica A. Wentz
Report: Opposition to Renewable Energy Facilities in the United States: March 2022 Edition, Hillary Aidun, Jacob Elkin, Radhika Goyal, Kate Marsh, Neely McKee, Maris Welch, Leah Adelman, and Shane Finn
Report: Permitting Seaweed Cultivation for Carbon Sequestration in California: Barriers and Recommendations, Korey Silverman-Roati, Romany M. Webb, and Michael B. Gerrard
Report: Removing Carbon Dioxide Through Artificial Upwelling and Downwelling: Legal Challenges and Opportunities, Romany M. Webb, Korey Silverman-Roati, and Michael B. Gerrard
Report: Removing Carbon Dioxide Through Ocean Fertilization: Legal Challenges and Opportunities, Korey Silverman-Roati, Romany M. Webb, and Michael Gerrard
Publications from 2021
Article: Emerging State-Level Environmental Justice Laws, Michael B. Gerrard and Edward McTiernan
Article: Global Southerners in the North, Ama Francis
Article: How Biden’s Environmental Policies Will Affect New York, Michael B. Gerrard and Edward McTiernan
Article: Legal Pathways to Biden's Climate Goals, Michael B. Gerrard
Article: Migrants Can Make International Law, Ama Francis
Article: Next Mayor Will Inherit Job of Implementing 2019 Law Setting Building Emissions Caps, Michael B. Gerrard and Edward McTiernan
Article: Potential Tensions Between New York’s Climate Change Laws and Historic Preservation Laws, Michael B. Gerrard and Edward McTiernan
Article: Presidential Progress on Climate Change: Will the Courts Interfere With What Needs to Be Done to Save Our Planet?, Michael B. Gerrard
Article: Review of 2020 Cases Under SEQRA, Michael B. Gerrard and Edward McTiernan
Article: Smart Surfaces, Smart Cities: Reducing Heat and Promoting Equity in Urban Areas, Hillary Aidun
Article: Taking from States: Sovereign Immunity's Preclusive Effect on Private Takings of State Land, Jennifer Danis and Michael Bloom
Article: The Law and Science of Climate Change Attribution, Michael Burger, Jessica A. Wentz, and Radley Horton
Paper: Attribution Science in Takings Litigation, Daniel J. Metzger
Paper: Climate Attribution Science and The Endangered Species Act, Jessica A. Wentz
Paper: Climate Change and Innovation in Brazil: Threats and Opportunities, Gabriel Wedy and Cacia Pimentel
Paper: Global Governance of Environmental Mobility: Latin America & the Caribbean, Ama Francis
Paper: The Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act’s Environmental Justice Promise, Hillary Aidun, Julia Li, and Antonia Pereira
Paper: The Law of Enhanced Weathering for Carbon Dioxide Removal: Volume 2 – Legal Issues Associated with Materials Sourcing, Romany M. Webb
Paper: U.S. Climate Litigation in the Age of Trump: Full Term, Korey Silverman-Roati
Report: Cities Climate Law: A Legal Framework for Local Action in the U.S., Amy E. Turner and Michael Burger
Report: Opposition to Renewable Energy Facilities in the United States, Hillary Aidun, Radhika Goyal, Kate Marsh, Neely McKee, and Maris Welch
Report: Principles of International Law and the Adoption of a Market-Based Mechanism for Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Shipping, Hillary Aidun, Daniel J. Metzger, and Michael B. Gerrard
Report: Removing Carbon Dioxide Through Ocean Alkalinity Enhancement and Seaweed Cultivation: Legal Challenges and Opportunities, Romany M. Webb, Korey Silverman-Roati, and Michael B. Gerrard
Report: Removing Carbon Dioxide Through Ocean Alkalinity Enhancement: Legal Challenges and Opportunities, Romany M. Webb, Korey Silverman-Roati, and Michael B. Gerrard
Report: Removing Carbon Dioxide Through Seaweed Cultivation: Legal Challenges and Opportunities, Korey Silverman-Roati, Michael B. Gerrard, and Romany M. Webb
Report: The Legal Framework for Offshore Carbon Capture and Storage in Canada, Romany M. Webb and Michael B. Gerrard
Report: Using New York Law to Advance Equity in the Transportation & Climate Initiative Program, Hillary Aidun, Ama Francis, and Michael B. Gerrard
Publications from 2020
Article: An Environmental Lawyer's Fraught Quest for Legal Tools to Hold Back the Seas, Michael B. Gerrard
Article: Biden Administration Will Reverse Many Trump Environmental Policies, Michael B. Gerrard and Edward McTiernan
Article: Climate Change, Coming Soon to a Court Near You – Report Three: National Climate Change Legal Frameworks in Asia and the Pacific, Dena Adler, Hillary Aidun, Michael Burger, Ama Francis, Briony Eales, and Maria Cecilia T. Sicango
Article: Climate Change, FERC, and Natural Gas Pipelines: The Legal Basis for Considering Greenhouse Gas Emissions Under Section 7 of the Natural Gas Act, Romany M. Webb
Article: Direct Air Capture: An Emerging Necessity to Fight Climate Change, Michael B. Gerrard
Article: How Agency Science is Under Threat, Romany M. Webb
Article: Legal Tools for Achieving Low Traffic Zones (LTZs): LEZ, ULEZ & Congestion Pricing in the U.S. Law Context, Amy E. Turner
Article: New York Can Lead World in Fighting Climate Change, Michael B. Gerrard
Article: New York Environmental Legislation in 2019, Michael B. Gerrard and Edward McTiernan
Article: New York’s New Statute on Siting Renewable Energy Facilities, Michael B. Gerrard and Edward McTiernan
Article: Sabin Center Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Anti-Racism Plan, Sabin Center for Climate Change Law
Article: The Law and Science of Climate Change Attribution, Michael Burger, Jessica A. Wentz, and Radley Horton
Article: The Perils of Relying on FEMA Flood Maps in Real Estate Transactions, Michael B. Gerrard and Edward McTiernan
Article: The Role of Lawyers in Decarbonizing Society, Michael B. Gerrard
Article: When Politics Trump Science: The Erosion of Science-Based Regulation, Romany M. Webb, Lauren Kurtz, and Susan Rosenthal
Paper: After Madrid, W[h]ither the COP?, Susan Biniaz
Paper: Climate Financing Options: An Assessment for Columbia World Project – Ghana Household Energy, Ama Francis
Paper: Legal Levers For Cleaner Air in Kolkata: An Assessment of Local Legal Authority, Ama Francis
Paper: The Contact Group on Somali Piracy: An Unlikely Model for Protecting the Environment?, Susan Biniaz
Paper: The Law of Enhanced Weathering for Carbon Dioxide Removal, Romany M. Webb
Report: Climate Change, Coming Soon to a Court Near You – Report Four: International Climate Change Legal Frameworks, Maria Cecilia T. Sicango
Report: Climate Change, Coming Soon to a Court Near You – Report One: Report Series Purpose and Introduction to Climate Science, Briony Eales
Report: Climate Change, Coming Soon to a Court Near You – Report Two: Climate Litigation in Asia and the Pacific and Beyond, Briony Eales, Ama Francis, Michael Burger, Romany M. Webb, Jessica A. Wentz, Dena Adler, Gregorio Rafael P. Bueta, and Francesse Joy J. Cordon-Navarro
Report: Climate Recommendations For a New Democratic President and a New Congress: A Compilation, Clara Grieder and Jordan Gerow
Report: Climate Reregulation in a Biden Administration, Michael Burger, Daniel J. Metzger, Hillary Aidun, and Susan Biniaz
Report: Climate Risk in the Electricity Sector: Legal Obligations to Advance Climate Resilience Planning by Electric Utilities, Romany M. Webb, Michael Panfil, and Sarah Ladin
Report: Compilation of Recommendations to Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions in New York State, Kate Marsh, Neely McKee, and Jordan Gerow
Report: Summary: Combating Climate Change with Section 115 of the Clean Air Act, Jonathan Cannon, Ann E. Carlson, Greg Dotson, Michael B. Gerrard, Justin Gundlach, Jayni Foley Hein, Cale Jaffe, Michael A. Livermore, Jason A. Schwartz, Daniel Selmi, Jessica A. Wentz, Philip S. Barnett, Keith J. Benes, and Alexandra E. Teitz
Publications from 2019
Article: Annual Review of Developments Under SEQRA, Michael B. Gerrard and Edward McTiernan
Article: Changing the National Flood Insurance Program for a Changing Climate, Dena Adler, Michael Burger, Rob Moore, and Joel Scata
Article: Determining Climate Responsibility: Government Liability for Hurricane Katrina?, Teresa Chan, Michael Burger, Vincent Colatriano, and John Echeverria
Article: How Lawyers Can Help Save the Planet, Michael B. Gerrard and John C. Dernbach
Article: New Climate Law Will Reshape NY’s Key Sectors, Michael B. Gerrard and Edward McTiernan
Article: New York Environmental Legislation in 2018, Michael B. Gerrard and Edward McTiernan
Article: New York’s New Congestion Pricing Law, Michael B. Gerrard and Edward McTiernan
Article: Overcoming Impediments to Offshore CO2 Storage: Legal Issues in the U.S. and Canada, Romany M. Webb and Michael B. Gerrard
Article: Three Legal Visions of a ‘Green New Deal’, Michael B. Gerrard and Edward McTiernan
Book: Legal Pathways to Deep Decarbonization in the United States, Michael B. Gerrard and John C. Dernbach
Paper: Breaking the Cycle of "Flood-Rebuild-Repeat": Local and State Options to Improve Substantial Damage and Improvement Standards in the National Flood Insurance Program, Dena Adler and Joel Scata
Paper: Free-Movement Agreements & Climate-Induced Migration: A Caribbean Case Study, Ama Francis
Paper: State Hazard Mitigation Plans & Climate Change: Rating the States 2019 Update, Dena P. Adler and Emma Gosliner
Paper: Survey of Greenhouse Gas Considerations in Federal Environmental Impact Statements and Environmental Assessments for Fossil Fuel-Related Projects, 2017-2018, Madeleine Siegel and Alexander Loznak
Paper: U.S. Climate Change Litigation in the Age of Trump: Year Two, Dena P. Adler
Report: Environmental Law in New York, Michael B. Gerrard
Report: Threats to the Brazilian Environment and Environmental Policy, Thomas J. Trebat, Laura Nora, and Inga Caldwell
Publications from 2018
Article: Changing International Law for a Changing Climate, Daniel C. Esty and Dena P. Adler
Article: Distributed Energy Resource Participation in Wholesale Markets: Lessons from the California ISO, Justin Gundlach and Romany M. Webb
Article: Expertise Scientifique et Lien de Causalité dans le Cadre du contentieux Climatique: le Point de Vue de la Doctrine Américaine, Michael Burger
Article: Geological Storage of CO2 in Sub-Seafloor Basalt: The CarbonSAFE Pre-Feasibility Study Offshore Washington State and British Columbia, David Goldberg, Lara Aston, Alain Bonneville, Inci Demirkanli, Curtis Evans, Andrew Fisher, Helena Garcia, Michael B. Gerrard, Martin Heesemann, Ken Hnottavange-Telleen, Emily Hsu, Cristina Malinverno, Kate Moran, Ah-Hyung Alissa Park, Martin Scherwath, Angela Slagle, Martin Stute, Tess Weathers, Romany M. Webb, Mark White, Signe White, and CarbonSAFE Cascadia Project Team
Article: Going Negative: The Next Horizon in Climate Engineering Law, Tracy Hester and Michael B. Gerrard
Article: Heat Waves: Legal Adaptation to the Most Lethal Climate Disaster (So Far), Michael B. Gerrard
Article: Holding Fossil Fuel Companies Accountable for their Contribution to Climate Change: Where Does the Law Stand?, Michael Burger and Jessica A. Wentz
Article: Join the Parties: 25+ Ways to Promote Participation in Multilateral Environmental Agreements, Susan Biniaz
Article: Legal Tools for Cities to Cope With Extreme Heat, Michael B. Gerrard and Edward McTiernan
Article: L’évolution des Actions en Justice Climatique aux États-Unis, de George W. Bush à Donald Trump, Michael B. Gerrard
Article: Microgrids and Resilience to Climate-Driven Impacts on Public Health, Justin Gundlach
Article: New York Environmental Legislation in 2017, Michael B. Gerrard and Edward McTiernan