The first part of this Article suggests a framework for understanding Article I, Section 27 of the Pennsylvania constitution. This second and final part of the Article outlines ways in which that framework should be applied.The Article argues that the environmental rights and public trust...

This Article argues that all lawyers, not just environmental lawyers, have a unique and important role to play in protecting life on earth, and suggests that we all need to consider doing more than we have already been doing. It briefly explains the challenge and opportunity of climate change,...

This article explains why industrial waste that is not legally hazardous must be given greater attention and regulatory oversight. Industrial waste (including coal ash) may represent as much as 94 percent of municipal, hazardous, and industrial wastes combined. The article explores the existing...

The Pennsylvania Supreme Court's decision in Robinson Township v. Commonwealth, 803 A.3d 901 (Dec. 19, 2013) has prompted enormous interest in the history and text of Article I, Section 27 of the Pennsylvania Constitution. This legislative history is a response to that interest.Amendments to the...

Sustainable development (or sustainability) is a decision-making framework for maintaining and achieving human well-being, both in the present and into the future. The framework requires both consideration and achievement of environmental protection, social justice and economic development. In...

This article describes and explains a sustainability law practicum class that is now taught in only two law schools, but which has considerable teaching and practical value. It also explains how this class is consistent with, and furthers, the growing demand for experiential, skills-based legal...

To achieve deep decarbonization, developed countries need to reduce their net greenhouse gas emissions by more than 80 percent from 1990 levels by 2050. As ambitious and even unachievable as that goal may seem, some developed country jurisdictions have already made considerable progress in...

This Debate in Print concentrates on the U.S. energy system and asks, How should public policy move forward to promote the decarbonization of the American economy? And what blend of law, economics, science, and technology will get the job done?

This article provides a description and analysis of the dozen types of legal tools that are available to reduce U.S. greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by at least 80% from 1990 levels by 2050. The “80 by 50” target and similarly aggressive carbon abatement goals are often referred to as “deep...

In the December 2015 Paris Agreement of the parties to the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change, nations unanimously agreed to a goal of net zero greenhouse gas emissions by the second half of this century, and a plan for achieving that goal. The challenge now is implementation. This...