| No. | Date | Topics | Guest Speaker(s) | Readings | Comments |
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| 1. | Aug. 26, 2013 | Introduction - Orientation and Overview
Climate Science - background |
Osofsky and McAllister, Climate Change Law and Policy (2012), pp. 4-25 ("Osofsky") Climate Outlook Looking Much the Same, or Even Worse, 334 Science 1616 (Dec. 23, 2011) EPA Greenhouse Gas Emission Mapping System (just explore; we'll use it in class) |
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| 2. | Aug. 28, 2013 | Climate Science - guest discussion on climate science challenges and future directions | Prof. Barry Lefer, University of Houston |
No Need to Panic About Global Warming, Wall Street Journal, Jan. 27, 2012 (opinion article) Trends in America's Climate and Environmental Attitudes: 2011, ecoAmerica (2011) |
Background: NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies, NASA Finds 2011 Ninth Warmest Year on Record (Jan. 19, 2012) and temperature animation |
| 3. | Sept. 2, 2013 | Labor Day - no class |
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| 4. | Sept. 4, 2013 | Climate Science - communication and policy implications | D. Kahan et al, Cultural Cognition of Scientific Consensus, Journal of Risk Research (2013) Where did global warming go?, New York Times news analysis, Oct. 16, 2011 |
Background reference material: J. Schmandt (ed.), The Impact of Global Warming on Texas, chap. 10 (Policy Options) (June 2011) D. Kahan et al., Geoengineering and the Science Communication Environment: A Cross-Culture Experiment, Cultural Cognition Project Working Paper No. 92 (draft; Jan. 9, 2012) |
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| 5. | Sept. 9, 2013 | Responding to Climate Change - Mitigation |
Osofsky 26 to 39 R. Socolow and S. Pacala, A Plan to Keep Carbon in Check, Scientific American at p. 50 (Sept. 2006) R. Socolow, Wedges Reaffirmed, http://www.thebulletin.org/wedges-reaffirmed, Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists (Sept. 27, 2011) |
McKinsey GHG Cost Abatement Curve (see page 8) McKinsey & Co., Unlocking Energy Efficiency in the U.S. Economy, Executive Summary (July 2009)
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| 6. | Sept. 11, 2013 | Responding to Climate Change - Mitigation and Adaptation | Exercise - review of Texas wedge strategies Osofsky 39-62 |
Executive Summary of N. Stern, The Economics of Climate Change (2006) Texas No-Regrets Strategies Report (2010) J. Williams, et al. |
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| 5. | Sept. 16, 2013 | Climate engineering and other technology-based proposals |
Osofsky 399-428 |
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| 6. | Sept. 18, 2013 | Climate engineering - field experimental proposals and application of domestic environmental legal requirements | Guest speaker: Prof. David Keith, Harvard University | Readings to be provided by Prof. Keith Lecture availble by email per request |
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| 7. | Sept. 23, 2013 | U.S. climate change law and policy - statutory initiatives and the Clean Air Act | Osofsky 117-142 President Obama's Climate Action Executive Order and Climate Action Plan |
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| 8. | Sept. 25, 2013 | U.S. climate change law and policy - Clean Air Act regulations and permitting | Wold, Climate Change Under Existing Federal Statutes (excerpt on stationary source permitting) Final Tailoring Rule (read only pp. 31516-522) |
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| 9. | Sept. 30, 2013 | U.S. law - Clean Air Act and NEPA | Wold, Climate Change Under Existing Federal Statutes (chap. 14 excerpt) |
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| 10. | Oct. 2, 2013 | U.S. law - NEPA | Wold, Climate Change Under Existing Federal Statutes (chap. 14 excerpt on NEPA) |
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| 11. | Oct. 7, 2013 | U.S. law - Endangered Species Act |
Wold, Climate Change Under Existing Federal Statutes (chap. 14 excerpt on ESA) |
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| 12. | Oct. 9, 2013 | U.S. law - Endangered Species Act and Clean Water Act | Wold, Climate Change Under Federal Statutes (chap. 14 excerpt on Clean Water Act) Center for Biological Diversity v. Export-Import Bank, Complaint (N.D. Cal., filed Dec. 13, 2012) |
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| 13. | Oct. 14, 2013 | U.S. law - climate change litigation overview | Guest speaker: Matt Paulson, Katten Munchin (Austin) | Matt Paulson's PowerPoint
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Letter from Bryan Shaw, TCEQ, and Greg Abbott, Texas Attorney General, to EPA Region 6 Administrator Al Armendariz (Aug. 2, 2010) U.S. Climate Change Litigation Chart (Columbia Law School) |
| 14. | Oct. 16, 2013 | Social Cost of Carbon | Guest speakers: David Bookbinder and David Bailey, Element VI Consultants |
Readings to be assigned by speakers |
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| 15. | Oct. 21, 2013 | U.S. law - climate change tort liability |
American Electric Power v. Connecticut Comer v. Murphy Oil Co. panel opinion (5th Cir.)
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Kivalina Oral Argument in 9th Circuit Comer v. Murphy Oil USA, Inc. (district court decision on re-filing) Bonser-Lain v. TCEQ (201st Dist. Ct., Travis Co., filed July 22, 2011) Bonser-Lain v. TCEQ letter opinion TCEQ v. Bonser-Lain appellate brief Alec L v. Jackson Memorandum in Support of Motion to Dismiss by United States Youth Insist State of Alaska Address Climate Change (Oct. 11, 2013) |
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| 16. | Oct. 23, 2013 | Regional Initiatives -- RGGI, WCI and compacts | Osofsky 267-295, 301-306 |
Chart of states with renewable portfolio standards Rocky Mountain Farmer's Union v. Corey, 9th Cir. (9/18/2013) |
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| 17. | Oct. 28, 2013 | State and local initiatives -- California, NY, Houston State climate change laws and permitting |
Osofsky 306-310, 314-323 |
Pending Proposed TCEQ Rules to Implement H.B. 788 (2013) Profile of David Keith, 342 Science 307 (Oct. 18, 2013) |
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| 18. | Oct. 30, 2013 | International law - Montreal Protocol and UNFCCC | Osofsky 63-80, 98-102 Excerpts from Louis Henkin, Foreign Affairs and the United States Constitution (1998) |
Full text of U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change |
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| 19. | Nov. 4, 2013 | International law - Kyoto Protocol, Cancun Agreements, Durban Accords, Doha Framework and Warsaw COP | Osofsky 80-98, 103-112 Full text of Kyoto Protocol (skim) U.S. Pushes to Cut Emissions of Some Pollutants That Hasten Climate Change, The New York Times, Feb. 15, 2012 |
Powerpoint on Introduction to Kyoto Protocol R. Kerr, A Quick (Partial) Fix For An Ailing Atmosphere, 335 Science 156 (Jan. 13, 2012) and study United Nations, The Future We Want, Jan. 10, 2012 (planning document for Rio+20 conference) |
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| 20. | Nov. 6, 2013 | International law - Impact of Kyoto Protocol and international climate change conventions on U.S. citizens and companies |
D. Goldberg, The Impact of the Kyoto Protocol on U.S. Business (2007) (excerpts) D. Bodansky, Implications for U.S. Companies of Kyoto's Entry into Force Without the United States (2002) |
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| 21. | Nov. 11, 2013 | International law - international human rights and climate change law; lawsuits before international courts and agencies | Osofsky 112-115 Wold -- read pp. 11-36 Compliance and Dispute Settlement in Multinational Agreements -- focus on pp. 322-333 |
Gbemre v. Shell (High Court of Nigeria, Nov. 14, 2005) |
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22. |
Nov. 13, 2013 | International Trade and Climate Change | Guest lecture by Scott Fulton, former General Counsel, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency |
North American Agreement on Environmental Cooperation Any readings assigned by Prof. Fulton |
The TransPacific Partnership Trade Agreement Would Harm Our Environment (July 10, 2013) |
| 23. | Nov. 18, 2013 | Comparative law - responses by other nations |
Osofsky 191-195, 221-256
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T. Hester, Private Claims for a Global Climate: U.S. and Indian Litigation Approaches to Climate Change and Environmental Harm (July 2011) R. Lord ed., Climate Change Liability: Transnational Law and Practice (2012) (chapter on India) |
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| 24. | Nov. 20, 2013 | Comparative law - responses by other nations -- conclusion
Climate Refugee Law
Update on Warsaw COP 19 |
Panel Discussion: Profs. Geoff Hoffman and Hester Guest comments -- Rodman Johnson, partner at Enoch Kever PLLC |
Osofsky 195-221 Membership in Particular Social Groups (Prof. Hoffman's PowerPoint, for background only) Atlas of Pollution: World in CO2 Emissions, The Guardian, Jan. 31, 2011 |
U.S. fears climate talks will focus on compensation for extreme weather (Guardian, 11/15/13) |
| 25. | Nov. 25, 2013 | Climate Adaptation law | Prepare to draft an outline of Texas climate adaptation plan in class | Osofsky 295-301, 310-314 Executive Order -- Preparing the United States for the Impacts of Climate Change (Nov. 1, 2013) V. Flatt, Adapting Laws for a Changing World: A Systematic Approach to Climate Change Adaptation, 64 Fla. L. Rev. 269 (2012) Climate Adaptation Clearinghouse Washington State Climate Adaptation Strategy: - Executive Summary - pp. 25-31 |
Port of Houston Climate Adaptation Plan for Bayport Terminal Draft EPA Climate Adaptation Plan Obama uses executive order in sweeping takover of nation's climate change policies (Fox News, Nov. 1, 2013) NRDC Critique of Absence of Climate Change Considerations in Texas Emergecy Response Plan (2013) |
| No class - Thanksgiving Break | |||||
| 26. | Dec. 2, 2013 | Role of non-governmental organizations and corporate initiatives; voluntary commitments and actions; disclosure-based initiatives
Final class review |
Osofsky 325-358 SEC Guidance on Climate Change Disclosure AES Annual Report 2011, pp. 65-72 (disclosure on climate risk) |
In the Matter of Dynegy Inc. (assurance of discontinuance, Oct. 23, 2008) Unburnable Carbon (CERES Report, 2013) Sample carbon disclosure request letter (CERES, Sept. 9, 2013) |
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| 27. | Dec. 4, 2013 | No class, but available for any meetings or to review questions |
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| Dec. 9 -18, 2013 | Final Exam - 24-hour take-home examination. You can check out the exam at the reference desk of the UHLC library, and you must submit your exam answers by 9:00 p.m. on Dec. 18. Please send me any email queries by Dec. 8 at noon - I will compile responses and distribute before the exam period opens on Dec. 9. |
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