Policy is imperative in accelerating and supporting climate action. Policy levers form the framework to influencer businesses, states, and individuals to act on climate and accelerate the transition to net zero.
From EV tax credits to national manufacturing laws, the Policy program considers policy at all levels – local, state, international.
Here are some resources to help you learn more:
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The EPA Has Finally Banned the Toxic Pesticide Chlorpyrifos From Food
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency just took a huge step toward protecting kids and farmworkers from a toxic pesticide linked to lifelong intellectual disabilities. On August 18, the agency announced that it will ban chlorpyrifos from all food crops. Earthjustice represented health, labor, and learning disability organizations in a successful legal battle to win this much-needed protection.
If We Protect Our Ocean, It Can Protect Us
Chair Raul Grijalva (D-AZ) along with 25 original cosponsors has reintroduced the Ocean-Based Climate Solutions Act on World Oceans Day, June 8th. This is the type of visionary bill we need for this moment, recognizing that the ocean is a powerful source of solutions to the climate crisis.
Who’s building the green cities of the future? These 5 people — and a whole lot of others.
Municipalities large and small, and the people who design and govern them, hold great power over what the future will look like. The plans they draft today will shape the buildings we live and work in, the transportation networks we rely on, and the resources like water, energy, and public spaces we use tomorrow. The power of city hall to influence these fundamental aspects of life is an increasingly important tool for combating climate change, promoting sustainability, and advancing environmental justice.
Gulf Coast communities are solving their own flooding crisis. It could be a model for cities nationwide.
Louisiana entrusted its residents to determine the best response to sea level rise and coastal erosion. Other regions should take note.
Watch
For most of its nearly 50-year history, the Clean Water Act protected all US rivers and streams from pollution. But the Trump administration redefined the types of waterways that get federal protection, which affects some states in the arid West more than any other part of the country. The reason why has to do with the differences between certain types of rivers and streams.
The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) requires federal agencies to assess the environmental effects of their proposed actions prior to making decisions. To assist agencies to make better decisions regarding the environmental justice impacts of their decisions, the NEPA Committee of the Federal Interagency Working Group on Environmental Justice has released a document on “Promising Practices for EJ Methodologies in NEPA Reviews.” Watch the video to learn more about the value of the NEPA process and how the Promising Practices document will result in better outcomes for our most vulnerable communities.
Watch the true story of a town who discovered strength in unity and turned the tables on the powerful oil & gas industry. A month after this video was made, New York's highest court ruled in favor of Dryden over the fracking industry in a historic win. New York State's Department of Environmental Conservation later concluded that the health risks of fracking are too great, and it will not permit the controversial practice to move forward in the state. The people of Dryden and many other courageous citizens were a huge part of making this victory happen.
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Legal Planet, a collaboration between faculty at UC Berkeley School of Law and UCLA School of Law, provides insight and analysis on energy and environmental law and policy in a way that’s understandable to a mass audience. Legal Planet writes about court decisions, regulatory actions, and state and legislation that affect climate change policy, water resource management, toxic waste disposal, renewable energy, air quality, land use, and more.
