It's been another big month for climate policy with Los Angeles announcing bold new targets this week to address greenhouse gas emissions and presidential candidates sparring on policies to cut our reliance on fossil fuels. Below are updates from our faculty and student work.

Cara Horowitz , co-executive director, Emmett Institute
Governors gather in Colombia to address tropical deforestation

This week in Colombia, 14 governors join government representatives, indigenous community leaders, and forest experts for an annual meeting of the Governors' Climate and Forests Task Force led by William Boyd . The network now includes 38 member states and provinces, covering over one-third of the world’s tropical forests.

New analysis shows the world lost a Belgium-sized area of primary tropical rainforest in 2018. The GCF network offers support for policy innovation and leadership by subnational jurisdictions to protect forests, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and enhance livelihoods. Learn more.

Photo credit: @gcf_taskforce, Instagram

Editors of the definitive annual compilation of the most significant scholarly articles in environmental law have selected articles by Emmett Institute faculty members Ann Carlson and Jim Salzman for their 2018 edition.

The Land Use and Environmental Law Review selects the top five articles each year through a peer review process. An article by Nicholas Bryner during his time as an Emmett/Frankel fellow was chosen as a finalist.  Learn more.

Photo credit: UCLA School of Law

The Emmett Institute will host a symposium at UCLA Law on June 6, 2019, to explore California's status and future as an environmental pioneer.

Panelists will examine the successes and challenges faced during Governor Brown's tenure in office. With Governor Newsom now at the helm, we will also look at today's environmental leadership opportunities. CARB chair and Emmett Institute board member Mary Nichols will deliver a keynote address. This event is free and open to the public. Details/RSVP.

Photo credit: Joe Wolf, Flickr

The Sixth International Geoengineering Governance Summer School in Banff, Canada, will bring together an international group of leading experts with post-graduate students, early-career researchers, and professionals seeking to develop expertise in the field. It will facilitate intensive, collaborative explorations of the societal, political, governance, and ethical aspects of geoengineering. The application deadline is May 10 . Details/apply. 

Photo credit: Marcia O'Connor, Flickr

The Emmett Institute hosted NRDC China expert Barbara Finamore earlier this month for a discussion on her new book, Will China Save the Planet?

In a new Legal Planet interview, Alex Wang speaks with Finamore on China's transition towards clean energy. Read the blog post.

Photo credit: Daniel Melling

With oral arguments in the landmark children's climate case Juliana v. United States set to be heard in June, the Emmett Institute hosted a special Earth Day event at UCLA with Julia Olson , executive director and chief legal counsel, Our Children's Trust and lead attorney for the youth plaintiffs. Ann Carlson moderated the discussion.

A video recording is now available on the UCLA Law website and YouTube . See photos of the event on our Flickr page .

Photo credit: Todd Cheney

A new book edited by Ann Carlson and Dallas Burtraw, Resources for the Future, examines the Clean Air Act to identify lessons for future climate and energy policymaking in the US at the federal and state levels. The book includes a chapter from William Boyd on National Ambient Air Quality Standards. Learn more.

Ted Parson participated in a public debate in New York on climate engineering with scholars from Charles Sturt University, Harvard University and Oxford University.

Parson's arguments helped persuade 75 percent of the live audience to favor exploring solar geoengineering by the end of the debate. Watch the debate , read an E&E News article about the event, and learn more about our geoengineering work.

Photo credit: Intelligence Squared, Twitter
Students explore Los Angeles' environmental legacy and future

Earlier this month, our students and faculty participated in a tour of Wilmington, CA, a predominantly Latinx neighborhood surrounded by the Port of Los Angeles, heavy industry, and an oil field. Communities For A Better Environment staff members Alicia Rivera and Katherine Hoff ’14 guided the tour. See photos.
Students and faculty also toured the Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator this month, learning about innovative companies developing solutions to improve building energy use, street design, power systems, and more. LACI's Michael Swords led the tour.

Photo credit: Daniel Melling
Alumni share career insights

UCLA Law alumni returned to campus to discuss career paths in environmental law and how new attorneys from diverse backgrounds can enhance the field. Thank you to the LA County Bar Association, Environmental Law Section, and Environmental Law Society for co-sponsoring, and to our panelists:

  • Oscar Espino-Padron ‘11, Earthjustice
  • Sherry Jackman ‘10, Greenberg Glusker
  • Heather Leslie ‘15, California Department of Justice, Environment Section

Photo credit: Daniel Melling

This week Mayor Eric Garcetti announced bold new targets for Los Angeles to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions, including in transportation, the subject of our quiz: 
 
Today the average Angeleno drives 15 miles every day. If Los Angeles reaches its new target for reducing citywide vehicle miles traveled (VMT), how many miles will the typical resident drive in a day in 2035?

Please send responses to quizmaster Daniel Melling, melling@law.ucla.edu to win an Emmett Institute-themed prize.

Photo credit: Daniel Melling
Upcoming events and speaking engagements

Emmett Institute faculty are organizing and participating in events and talks over the next few months:

Climate Change Science and Litigation: Communities go to Court to Recover Costs of the Climate Crisis
May 2, 2019 | University of Hawaii Environmental Law Program
Ann Carlson will speak on recent climate liability lawsuits filed by U.S. cities and counties against fossil fuel companies for damages from climate change.

May 2, 2019; 6:00 – 8:30 p.m. | Tenth Church of Christ, Scientist, 1133 S. Bundy Dr, LA 90049. 
Julia Stein will deliver a keynote address and  Charoula Melliou, L.L.M. '19 and Divya Rao '20  will discuss their work on plastics pollution at this annual meeting, with a theme of “Sustainable is Attainable!” Details.

May 16, 2019 | University of Chicago
Ann Carlson will speak to students in the University of Chicago's Program in the Global Environment. Details.

May 22-23, 2019 | Arizona State University, Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law, Center for Law, Science and Innovation
Jesse Reynolds will present his paper (co-authored with Ted Parson), “Linking Solar Geoengineering and Emissions Abatement Policies: Resolving an International Climate Policy Dilemma”. Details/RSVP.

May 23, 2019 | UCLA School of Law
The Sustainable LA Grand Challenge will host a symposium with experts in the Los Angeles region to share ideas for reaching 100 percent local water by 2050. Cara Horowitz will discuss her research on water recycling. Details/RSVP.

June 4, 2019 | EXPO Center - Roy A. Anderson Recreation Center
Julia Stein will speak at an annual conference hosted by Los Angeles Neighborhood Land Trust on the theme of strengthening communities through equitable development. Details/RSVP.

June 6, 2019 | UCLA School of Law
An Emmett Institute symposium will explore California's status and future as an environmental pioneer. Details/RSVP.

Save the Date: Lessons from the Clean Air Act book launch
June 10, 2019 | Resources for the Future, Washington, D.C.
Ann Carlson and Dallas Burtraw will discuss findings from their new book and Emmett Institute board member Henry Waxman will deliver a keynote address.

August 5 – 11, 2019 | Banff, Alberta, Canada
The Emmett Institute, in partnership with the Forum for Climate Engineering Assessment, the Solar Radiation Management Governance Initiative, and the Harvard Solar Geoengineering Research Program, will bring together an international group of leading experts with post-graduate students, early-career researchers, and professionals seeking to develop expertise in the field, to facilitate intensive, collaborative explorations of the societal, political, governance, and ethical aspects of geoengineering. Details/RSVP.

Photo credit: Todd Cheney
Daniel Melling writes the Emmett Institute newsletter with editing from Sean Hecht and Cara Horowitz. Please send any feedback to melling@law.ucla.edu .
About the Emmett Institute
The Emmett Institute on Climate Change and the Environment is the country's leading law school center focused on climate change and other critical environmental issues. Founded in 2008 with a generous gift from Dan A. Emmett and his family, the Institute works across disciplines to develop and promote research and policy tools useful to decision makers locally, statewide, nationally and beyond. Our Institute serves as a premier source of environmental legal scholarship, nonpartisan expertise, policy analysis and training.   Learn more.