Legal Planet

By Our Powers Combined, We Are Captain Planet

Facing climate disasters, the GCF Task Force is putting the network theory of governance into practice.

I don't need to tell you that the last several months have seen an increasing number of climate-related disasters, including severe heatwaves throughout Europe and droughts that are impacting water supply and reducing ship passages through the Panama Canal. This year’s super El Niño has exacerbated the ongoing fires across Indonesian Borneo. It is projected to result in significant impacts globally (drought, fire, floods, extreme storms and heat, impacted food systems...

Election 2026: Governor’s Races

A round pin with red stars and stripes as well as white stars over a blue background reads "ELECTION 2026"

Some key races are still too close to call.

When election night rolls around about a month from now, keep on eye on Governors’ races. They tend not to get national attention, but they’re critical in terms of state climate and energy policy. Although governorships were once considered relatively weak offices, they have generally accrued greater power, just as Presidents have done at the federal level. Who’s steering state government matters. States are key players in the energy transition. The Federal Power...

Ban The Palm?

Streets For All Wants To -- But Is it More About Attention Than The Environment?

Nine times out of 10, when you see a graphic about Los Angeles, somewhere in it you will see a palm tree. It’s the iconic image of this city. When Walter O’Malley built Dodger Stadium, he made sure to include towering palm trees at the Stadium. The problem is that that’s mostly a lie. Palm trees are not native to Los Angeles. They are tropical plants, and this region is very much not tropical (at least not yet). Only one species derives from southern Cali...

I Skipped NY Climate Week and Read These Books Instead

Two books side by side: The Carbon Wave by Leah C. Stokes with a blue wavy cover, and Brought to You By by Amy Westervelt with an orange cover featuring coiled tentacles.

The Drain is a roundup of environmental and climate news from Legal Planet.

Climate World descended on New York City this week for the annual mad dash of panel discussions, press briefings, newsmaker interviews, influencer gatherings, and sponsored parties that is NY Climate Week, but I stayed home and read books instead. To be more specific, I went to my local bookstore (Village Well in Culver City!) and bought 4 new climate books that I've been excited to read: “The Carbon Wave: A Story of Democracy, Parenthood, and the Rac...

“National Security” is Becoming a Punch Line

A large white triumphal arch with gold statues and One Nation Under God inscribed at the top, set against a blue sky with clouds and surrounded by greenery.

Whenever he wants to roll back environmental protections, Trump cooks up a new national security justification.

Here's a new one: "Why did Trump's chicken cross the road?" The answer: "National security!" In a more serious vein, a recent NY Times article recounts how often President Trump has invoked national security. It dissects his latest and most absurd claim: that his planned "Arc de Trump" monument will be filled with snipers, ammunition, and drones. It turns out that the snipers would be in an excellent position to target visitors to Arlington National Cemetery but...

Whither the Governor’s Mansion?

A large, ornate white Victorian mansion with a central tower, surrounded by greenery. A sign in front reads Governors Mansion..

Some big environmental battles are brewing in Sacramento. But where will the next Governor stand?

Those of you who tuned in to the extra-long season finale of my favorite reality TV show, the California State Legislature, on September 1 (a full half-day after session was supposed to end, mind you: Drama!) may have, as I did, audibly gasped at the moment when the Assembly simply declined to vote on a compromise wildfire bill proposal (after a deal had reportedly been struck in the wee hours of the weekend: Drama!). The last-minute maneuver punted a critical conver...

UCLA Law Clinics File Brief in the “Mecheros” Case

A group of people in raincoats walk toward two tall gas flares burning brightly, surrounded by lush green trees and grass, under a grey, overcast sky.

UCLA’s Human Rights Litigation Clinic and Environmental Law Clinic represent experts in a long-running case that seeks to stop harmful gas flaring in Ecuador.

Guest Contributors Incia Haider and Enrique Garcia are J.D. candidates of UCLA School of Law, ‘27. This month, the Human Rights Litigation Clinic and the Frank G. Wells Environmental Law Clinic at UCLA School of Law filed an amicus brief with the Constitutional Court of Ecuador on behalf of a group of law professors and international legal scholars: our own Kate Mackintosh of UCLA Law, Sarah Dorman at Northwestern, Camilo Sanchez at the University of...

Montana’s Human Experiment with Untested Drugs

The state has decided to allow experimental drugs to be used on anyone who can pay for them.

Montana has adopted a bold new law (according to advocates) or a reckless one (according to critics). The new law allows experimental drugs and medical devices to be used on anyone--or at least anyone with enough cash--once treatments have passed very basic safety testing. Whether the treatments work is apparently not something Montanans care about it. The moving force behind the legislation was provided by tech bros interested in longevity treatments. To qualify, a...

The Overlooked Fast Track for Cutting Planetary Warming

A wildfire burns through a forested hillside at dusk, with orange flames and thick smoke rising against a dark mountain silhouette and glowing, hazy sky.

Guest contributors V. Ram Ramanathan, Durwood Zaelke, and Marcelo Suárez-Orozco write that we can cut the rate of warming by 30% to 50% within 15 years. “And we must.”

This guest post is authored by V. Ram Ramanathan, Durwood Zaelke, and Marcelo Suárez-Orozco and is informed by a presentation that Ramanathan is set to give at the Vatican on September 26. Among the three of us, we have 15 decades of high-level experience in climate science, policies and actions, and we have never been more alarmed than we are at this moment. The United Nations has just officially declared that the world has failed in limiting global warming to ...

Ya Gotta Read The Syllabus!!

A man in sunglasses with text overlaid: WHAT IF I TOLD YOU IT IS IN THE SYLLABUS. The image mimics a popular meme format from The Matrix movie.

A new study reveals the pervasiveness of academic groupthink -- with warnings for environmental scholars

https://youtube.com/shorts/aL_fP5axQV4?si=TiZ2fdjCBepTwWPR One of the most frustrating aspects about the debate over the degree to which “Wokeness” (never defined) has taken over the Academy (or not) is that it relies almost exclusively on anecdotes. Someone says or writes something ridiculous; someone else is fired for saying or writing something ridiculous (or often not ridiculous). It is very hard to get a good general picture of things. Recently, Jon A. Shi...

Join Our Mailing List

Climate policy is changing rapidly. Stay in the loop with expert analysis via email Monday - Friday.

The Drain is a roundup of climate and environmental news from Legal Planet delivered to your Inbox once a week.

What In The World Is Happening At Nature?

Its recent editorial about Jason Arday should make us wonder whether academia adds value to anything.

Judge Smacks Down EPA’s Attempt to Revoke Six of California’s Waivers

She calls EPA’s legal arguments Orwellian.

The Legal Planet Guide to Suncor Energy v. County Commissioners of Boulder County

UCLA Law experts explain everything you need to know about Suncor v. Boulder as the climate case heads to the U.S. Supreme Court.

The Dim Outlook for Trump Energy Dominance

About the best he can hope for in the long run is to maintain the status quo.

Good News from Turkmenistan! Bad News from the UN

The Drain is a roundup of environmental and climate news from Legal Planet.

More on BACA and data centers

Considering the arguments in a recent op-ed arguing Prop 45 does not cover data centers

Two Wins from this Legislative Session — Awaiting Newsom

As Gov. Gavin Newsom’s term ends, these two bills present an opportunity to promote ratepayer affordability.

A Warning to Local Planners in California

If Proposition 45 is passed, you may get blindsided by projects you cannot stop. You may want to prepare yourself.

The end of endangered species habitat protections in California?

Not quite, but the combination of the Trump Admin and Prop 45 will drastically reduce protections.

The Bottleneck in Forest Monitoring Isn’t in Orbit

Groups on the frontlines fighting deforestation are held back by institutional constraints – not just technological barriers – according to a new study from UCLA, NYU, World Resources Institute, and the Governors’ Climate and Forests Task Force.

Facing climate disasters, the GCF Task Force is putting the network theory of governance into practice.

Some key races are still too close to call.

Streets For All Wants To -- But Is it More About Attention Than The Environment?

The Drain is a roundup of environmental and climate news from Legal Planet.

Whenever he wants to roll back environmental protections, Trump cooks up a new national security justification.

Some big environmental battles are brewing in Sacramento. But where will the next Governor stand?

UCLA’s Human Rights Litigation Clinic and Environmental Law Clinic represent experts in a long-running case that seeks to stop harmful gas flaring in Ecuador.

The state has decided to allow experimental drugs to be used on anyone who can pay for them.

Guest contributors V. Ram Ramanathan, Durwood Zaelke, and Marcelo Suárez-Orozco write that we can cut the rate of warming by 30% to 50% within 15 years. “And we must.”

A new study reveals the pervasiveness of academic groupthink -- with warnings for environmental scholars

Join Our Mailing List

Climate policy is changing rapidly. Stay in the loop with expert analysis via email Monday - Friday.

The Drain is a roundup of climate and environmental news from Legal Planet delivered to your Inbox once a week.

TRENDING

Facing climate disasters, the GCF Task Force is putting the network theory of governance into practice.

Some key races are still too close to call.

Streets For All Wants To — But Is it More About Attention Than The Environment?

The Drain is a roundup of environmental and climate news from Legal Planet.

Whenever he wants to roll back environmental protections, Trump cooks up a new national security justification.

Some big environmental battles are brewing in Sacramento. But where will the next Governor stand?

UCLA’s Human Rights Litigation Clinic and Environmental Law Clinic represent experts in a long-running case that seeks to stop harmful gas flaring in Ecuador.

The state has decided to allow experimental drugs to be used on anyone who can pay for them.

Guest contributors V. Ram Ramanathan, Durwood Zaelke, and Marcelo Suárez-Orozco write that we can cut the rate of warming by 30% to 50% within 15 years. “And we must.”

A new study reveals the pervasiveness of academic groupthink — with warnings for environmental scholars

Its recent editorial about Jason Arday should make us wonder whether academia adds value to anything.

She calls EPA’s legal arguments Orwellian.

UCLA Law experts explain everything you need to know about Suncor v. Boulder as the climate case heads to the U.S. Supreme Court.

About the best he can hope for in the long run is to maintain the status quo.

The Drain is a roundup of environmental and climate news from Legal Planet.

Considering the arguments in a recent op-ed arguing Prop 45 does not cover data centers

As Gov. Gavin Newsom’s term ends, these two bills present an opportunity to promote ratepayer affordability.

If Proposition 45 is passed, you may get blindsided by projects you cannot stop. You may want to prepare yourself.

Not quite, but the combination of the Trump Admin and Prop 45 will drastically reduce protections.

Groups on the frontlines fighting deforestation are held back by institutional constraints – not just technological barriers – according to a new study from UCLA, NYU, World Resources Institute, and the Governors’ Climate and Forests Task Force.