About | HeinOnline Law Journal Library | HeinOnline Law Journal Library | HeinOnline
LOG IN
LOG IN

11 CCLR 281 (2017)
Special Issue on the Changing Prospects for Climate Law and Policy in the US: Editorial

handle is hein.journals/cclr2017 and id is 317 raw text is: Editorial 1 281 Editorial As this edition of CCLR goes to press we know some things about the direction of climate change policy under the Trump Administration, but much remains uncertain. The United States has withdrawn from the Paris Agreement but a very strong 'We're Still In' movement has emerged through which state and local governments, companies, and universities are committing to meet the US Paris goals. The Trump Administration has pledged to step back from many of the climate initiatives of the Obama Administration, the most notable of which is the Clean Power Plan. Again, states have stepped up. Examples include Califor- nia extending its greenhouse gas (GHG) cap and trade program, the decision by 13 states and Puerto Rico to join the US Climate Alliance' created by Governors Cuomo (New York), Inslee (Washington), and Brown (California) to support state efforts to meet the Paris com- mitments, and the decision of the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative2 involving nine Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic states to lower the cap on GHG emissions from power plants in the region. Companies also continue to take steps to lower GHG emissions through a variety of private environmental governance programs including procurement of renew- able energy and requiring suppliers to reduce their GHG emissions. Another very significant concern is the Trump Administration's proposals to reduce fund- ing for climate research that could restrict both the Federal government's and other orga- nizations' abilities to design smart solutions to climate problems whether through mitiga- tion or adaptation. Unfortunately, even states committed to addressing climate change, with the possible exception of California, are unlikely to have the financial and scientific resources needed to conduct the leading edge research on climate mitigation and adapta- tion issues needed to undergird climate policy development and implementation. This type of research is fundamentally a collective enterprise that should be led by the national gov- ernment. Finally, the Administration has backed away from international commitments to help less developed countries finance changes needed to mitigate, adapt to, or recover from the impacts of climate change. Contributing to the ability of other countries, espe- cially less developed countries, to cope with climate change is an important element of the concept of 'Common but Differentiated Responsibility' which takes into account the United States' disproportionate emission of GHG. This situation is complicated by the catastrophic damage caused by hurricanes Henry, Irma, and Maria that were almost certainly causally influenced by climate change, whether resulting from the higher ocean temperatures of Gulf waters or other factors such as a weak- ened jet stream that may have allowed hurricane Henry to linger over Houston and near- by parts of Texas. Both hurricane Katrina and Sandy raised the level of concern about cli- mate change but these events were not sufficient to quell the voices of climate skeptics. It will be interesting to see whether hurricanes Henry, Irma, and Maria have an impact on DOI: 10.21552/cclr/2017/4/3 I See, <https://www.usclimateal liance.org . 2 See, <http://www.rggi.org>. CCLR 412017

What Is HeinOnline?

HeinOnline is a subscription-based resource containing thousands of academic and legal journals from inception; complete coverage of government documents such as U.S. Statutes at Large, U.S. Code, Federal Register, Code of Federal Regulations, U.S. Reports, and much more. Documents are image-based, fully searchable PDFs with the authority of print combined with the accessibility of a user-friendly and powerful database. For more information, request a quote or trial for your organization below.



Short-term subscription options include 24 hours, 48 hours, or 1 week to HeinOnline.

Purchase Access

Contact us for annual subscription options:

Contact Us

Already a HeinOnline Subscriber?

Log In

profiles profiles most