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 2020
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
Article: Patterns of Climate Change Litigation During Trump Era, Michael B. Gerrard and Edward McTiernan
Article: State Authority to Preempt Local Laws Regulating Renewable Energy Projects, Michael B. Gerrard and Edward McTiernan
Article: Turning the Tide in Coastal and Riverine Energy Infrastructure Adaptation: Can An Emerging Wave of Litigation Advance Preparation for Climate Change?, Dena P. Adler
Book: Climate Engineering and the Law: Regulation and Liability for Solar Radiation Management and Carbon Dioxide Removal, Michael B. Gerrard and Tracy Hester
Paper: Climate Change Impacts on the Bulk Power System: Assessing Vulnerabilities and Planning for Resilience, Justin Gundlach and Romany M. Webb
Paper: Deploying Advanced Metering Infrastructure on the Natural Gas System: Regulatory Challenges and Opportunities, Romany M. Webb
Paper: Human Rights and Article 6 of the Paris Agreement: Ensuring Adequate Protection of Human Rights in the SDM and ITMO Frameworks, Romany M. Webb and Jessica A. Wentz
Paper: Prison Preparedness and Legal Obligations To Protect Prisoners During Natural Disasters, William Omorogieva
Paper: Setting the Table for an International Environmental Agreement: A Beginner's Guide to Negotiating Mandates, Susan Biniaz
Paper: The Built Environment, Justin Gundlach and Jennier Klein
Paper: The Legal Basis for IMO Climate Measures, Aoife O'Leary and Jennifer Brown
Paper: U.S. Climate Change Litigation in the Age of Trump: Year One, Dena P. Adler
Paper: What Happened to Byrd-Hagel? Its Curious Absence From Evaluations of The Paris Agreement, Susan Biniaz
Presentation: Using EIAs in our Research, Madison E. Condon
Publications from 2017
Article: A Call to Action for New Yorkers, Jeffrey Gracer and Michael Mahoney
Article: Critics Float Legal Theories To Challenge Pruitt's Science Advisor Policy, Maria Hegstad
Article: Debate Over Environmental Rights and State Constitutional Convention, Michael B. Gerrard and Edward McTiernan
Article: Downstream and Upstream Greenhouse Gas Emissions: The Proper Scope of NEPA Review, Michael Burger and Jessica A. Wentz
Article: Legal Pathways for a Massive Increase in Utility-Scale Renewable Generation Capacity, Michael Gerrard
Article: Planning for the Effects of Climate Change on Natural Resources, Jessica A. Wentz
Article: Survey of 2016 Cases Under New York State Environmental Quality Review Act, Michael B. Gerrard and Edward McTiernan
Article: The Application of Open Records Laws to Publicly Funded Science, Lauren Kurtz
Article: The Energy Improvement of the Urban Existing Building Stock: A Proposal for Action Arising from Best Practice Examples, Teresa Parejo-Navajas
Paper: 10 Questions to Ask About the Proposed “Global Pact for the Environment”, Susan Biniaz
Paper: Act Locally, Reflect Globally: a Checklist of Options for U.S. Cities and States to Engage Internationally in Climate Action, Susan Biniaz
Paper: Appliance and Equipment Efficiency Standards: A Roadmap for State and Local Action, Peter Ross
Paper: Carbon Pricing in New York ISO Markets: Federal and State Issues, Justin Gundlach and Romany M. Webb
Paper: Climate Legislation and Litigation in Brazil, Gabriel Wedy
Paper: How Did Federal Environmental Impact Statements Address Climate Change in 2016?, Saloni Jain, Omri Klagsbald, Giovanna Leigh Crozier-Fitzgerald, Taylor Quinn, and Elana Sulakshana
Paper: How Existing Environmental Laws Respond to Climate Change and Its Mitigation, Justin Gundlach
Paper: I Beg to Differ: Taking Account of National Circumstances under the Paris Agreement, the ICAO Market-Based Measure, and the Montreal Protocol’s HFC Amendment, Susan Biniaz
Paper: Increasing Gasoline Octane Levels to Reduce Vehicle Emissions: A Review of Federal and State Authority, Romany M. Webb
Paper: Putting Green Infrastructure on Private Property in New York City, Justin Gundlach
Paper: The Price of Climate Deregulation: Adding Up the Costs and Benefits of Federal Greenhouse Gas Emission Standards, Nadra Rahman and Jessica A. Wentz
Paper: To Negotiate a Carbon Tax: A Rough Map of Policy Interactions, Tradeoffs, and Risks, Justin Gundlach
Paper: Transparency and ICAO's Aviation Offsetting Scheme: Two Separate Concepts?, Aoife O'Leary
Report: Policy Readiness for Offshore Carbon Dioxide Storage in the Northeast, Romany Webb and Michael Gerrard
Report: The Status of Climate Change Litigation: A Global Review, Michael Burger and Justin Gundlach
Publications from 2016
Article: Climate Change and Sustainable Development in Brazilian Law, Gabriel Wedy
Article: Climate Litigation Scores Successes in the Netherlands and Pakistan, Michael B. Gerrard
Article: Comma But Differentiated Responsibilities: Punctuation and 30 Other Ways Negotiators Have Resolved Issues in the International Climate Change Regime, Susan Biniaz
Article: Effect of the Paris Climate Agreement on U.S. Businesses, Michael B. Gerrard and Edward McTiernan
Article: Federal Implementation Plans and the Path to Clean Power, Daniel Selmi
Article: Forced Migration After Paris COP21: Evaluating the "Climate Change Displacement Coordination Facility", Phillip Dane Warren
Article: Integrating Climate Change Resilience Into HUD’s Disaster Recovery Program, Justin Gundlach and Channing R. Jones
Article: La Victoria de Urgenda: El Inicio de la Lucha Judicial Frente Al Cambio Climatico, Teresa Parejo Navajas
Article: Legal Pathways to Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions Under Section 115 of the Clean Air Act, Michael Burger, Ann E. Carlson, Michael B. Gerrard, Jayni Foley Hein, Jason A. Schwartz, and Keith J. Benes
Article: Preparing Clients for Climate Change, Michael B. Gerrard
Article: Sadly, the Paris Agreement Isn't Nearly Enough, Michael B. Gerrard
Article: Three Major Developments in International Climate Change Law, Michael B. Gerrard and Edward McTiernan
Paper: A Mitigation Based Rationale for Incorporating a Climate Change Impacts Fee into the Federal Coal Leasing Program, Michael Burger
Paper: Considering the Effects of Climate Change on Natural Resources in Environmental Review and Planning Documents: Guidelines for Agencies and Practitioners, Jessica A. Wentz
Paper: HUD Doesn't Need New Legislative Authority to Better Integrate Climate Change Resilience into Its Disaster Recovery Program, Justin Gundlach and Channing R. Jones
Paper: Legal Tools For Climate Adaptation Advocacy: The Electric Grid and Its Regulators – FERC and State Public Utility Commissions, Payal Nanavati and Justin Gundlach
Paper: Local Law Provisions for Climate Change Adaptation, Justin Gundlach and P. Dane Warren