One thing is clear at COP30: Cutting methane is a way to pull the emergency brake on climate change. Important story from @fionaharvey.bsky.social.

Thinking about the 45 native shrubs our @law.UCLA.edu students and faculty planted as a Public Service Challenge last week. They’re getting a good long shower.

Our Prof. Ann Carlson talks with Sammy Roth about a possible silver-lining if Trump succeeds in revoking the endangerment finding: California could gain the power to regulate greenhouse gases.

A nice profile of my work in UCLA's Blueprint Magazine this month!

Many Americans today have no memory of the world that spurred modern environmental law. The Documerica project, housed at the National Archives, provides a vivid window into environmental destruction circa the 1970s and reminds us how far we’ve come," writes our Prof. Jim Salzman.

👋We're on the ground at #COP30 in Belém, Brazil. Please say hi. Our Cara Horowitz joins our methane project lead Juan Pablo Escudero, a Professor at Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez. Our Governors'​ Climate & Forests Task Force led by Jason Gray is holding a governors roundtable and several side events.

If Trump’s EPA abandons climate policy, could California take over on greenhouse gases? Our Ann Carlson first floated the idea, which appears to have legs. Good story by @gauchoesque.bsky.social calmatters.org/environment/...

What ethical, moral, and biophysical concerns should we consider as we weigh the costs and benefits of further altering Earth’s planetary balance?

Our Faculty Director Ted Parson is on the latest episode of The Great Simplification with Nate Hagens to talk about climate interventions, risks, and thorny governance issues. @law.ucla.edu

UCLA's Blueprint Magazine explores China's lead in the race to renewables and features a lengthy interview and profile of our Prof. Alex Wang @greenlawchina.bsky.social. blueprint.ucla.edu/feature/the-...

Newsom grabs the spotlight. Big money for methane reductions. China and Brazil fill the power vacuum. Here's the good and bad of COP30. legal-planet.org/2025/11/12/g...

The legal and policy issues presented by possible interventions in the Earth System in response to escalating climate risk are only becoming thornier by the day. Our Ted Parson weighs in on solar geoengineering startups and on his expanded research in this area. legal-planet.org/2025/11/11/s...

The just-launched Tropical Forests Forever Facility is a bold new investment fund that aims to channel billions into tropical forest protection – "One key change can make it better," writes our Jason Gray at @us.theconversation.com as #COP30 gets underway. theconversation.com/a-bold-new-i...

For the @law.ucla.edu Public Service Challenge, our law students volunteered at @treepeople-org.bsky.social, removing invasive plants, and planting CA sagebrush and other natives all along a hillside they’re restoring. #probono

This article in the new #UCLA Blueprint magazine looks at our GCF Task Force's work in Brazil on the long road to #COP30. blueprint.ucla.edu/sketch/notes...

Thanks to @blancabegert.bsky.social for covering this important topic and a bunch of work by my colleagues @uclalawemmett.bsky.social, @uclaioes.bsky.social looking at the LADWP/SoCal Edison comparison + insideclimatenews.org/news/0511202...

Important story from @blancabegert.bsky.social on the differences between investor-owned utilities and publicly owned electricity providers, citing work by our current and former energy law experts.

Here's our new user-friendly ranking of super-polluting methane emissions across multiple sectors called STOP Methane (Spotlight on Top Plumes). Our UCLA experts will regularly publish lists as a new resource for journalists, industry leaders, policymakers, and the public. ucla.in/3JB9yBt

Such a useful news roundup!

📣NEWS: We just launched STOP Methane, a user-friendly ranking of super-polluting methane emissions across multiple sectors. Our @law.ucla.edu experts will regularly publish these ranked lists as a new resource for journalists, industry leaders, policymakers, and the public. ucla.in/3JB9yBt

we have news tomorrow, stay tuned

Confused or curious about the Bill Gates climate memo? I've got you covered! TOMORROW at 1:30pm PT, I'm talking with 4 great scientists. Sign up for an important convo w/ @katharinehayhoe.com @kimcobb.bsky.social @hausfath.bsky.social @weatherwest.bsky.social: coveringclimatenow.org/event/the-bi...

Our October newsletter has arrived and it's packed 📑 Defending Clean Air at the Ninth Circuit 🏭 New Energy Report: “Cost & Carbon” 👏🏻 Welcome: Nico Esguerra and the ESI Project 🌎 Methane Workshop in Argentina 🌳Yosemite Environmental Law Conference 🎤 Media ⁉️ Trivia Corner! mailchi.mp/law.ucla.edu...

We just filed an amicus brief defending the right of air pollution regulators to set important standards under the Clean Air Act to protect public health. Our executive director Cara Horowitz explains the strangely important case about boilers and water heaters. legal-planet.org/2025/10/30/a...

Humanity is on a path toward 'climate chaos,' scientists warn The burning of fossil fuels reached a new record last year, releasing even more greenhouse gases. @williamripple.bsky.social @michaelemann.bsky.social @petergleick.bsky.social www.latimes.com/environment/...

Great to see attention to this from @sammyroth.bsky.social. We surveyed 610 LA Times stories from Jan-Feb and found that only 13-15% of stories included a mention of “climate change” or “global warming” during those two months. Full survey is here: law.ucla.edu/news/missed-...

California is paving the way for the creation of an independent regional organization to oversee Western energy markets. It can learn from mistakes made in other regions. @uclalawemmett.bsky.social legal-planet.org/2025/10/28/3...

Ten years ago this week, the Aliso Canyon facility near Porter Ranch spewed about 120k tons of methane and toxic chemicals -- the worst natural gas blowout in US history. What have we learned? @hayleysmith.bsky.social checks in on regulators and residents. www.latimes.com/environment/...

Methane is responsible for about a third of global warming. But there is good news. The momentum to #CutMethane emissions is growing, according to a new methanedata.bsky.social report: www.unep.org/news-and-sto...

Almost 90% of satellite-detected methane leaks flagged to governments and oil and gas companies are not being acknowledged, according to Reuters coverage of the Eye on Methane report. www.reuters.com/sustainabili...

Less than 1/5 of participating companies are reporting their emissions with what the U.N. considers “gold standard” measurements. Another 15% are on track to doing so within a few years: NYT’s @sachimulkey.bsky.social coverage of the UNEP Eye on Methane report. www.nytimes.com/2025/10/22/c...

More than 100 countries signed on to a pledge to cut global methane emissions by 30% by 2030. They are moving too slow to achieve those goals, according to UNEP’s 2025 edition of its An Eye on Methane report. www.unep.org/events/publi...

The recent Manila protests over environment funds follow a rich tradition. Here’s a look at Filipino-led protests for environmental justice during Filipino American History Month. legal-planet.org/2025/10/23/r...

The U.S. energy industry is always complex but perhaps never more so than right now. Excited to welcome back @law.ucla.edu alumni in the field to talk with students about the path forward. @luskininnovation.bsky.social @uclasustainablela.bsky.social RSVP: docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...

California’s climate leadership goes global. @governor.ca.gov Gavin Newsom has been named Co-Chair of the COP30 Local Leaders Forum — recognizing California’s global leadership in turning climate ambition into action. www.gov.ca.gov/2025/10/21/g...

Is Yosemite OK? It is, for now. Despite the Trump administration taking a chainsaw to the staffing, funding, and morale of our National Parks. @evanlgeorge.bsky.social legal-planet.org/2025/10/22/i...

Listening to Alice Reynolds of the CPUC talk and she just showed this cartoon which is a keeper:

Global production of plastic has topped 1 trillion pounds per year, and 33 billion pounds of plastic enters the ocean annually. Some estimates find that only 5-6% of plastic is really recycled. Here are some reasons why.

It’s ‘work hard, hike hard’ here at the Yosemite Environmental Law Conference.

We’re packing our bags for the annual Environmental Law Conference at Yosemite. Faculty and staff plus about FORTY @law.ucla.edu environmental law students. Who else is going?

Which is better at delivering power: publicly owned LADWP or investor-owned Southern California Edison? They provide a unique opportunity to contrast the two models, says our @denisegrab.bsky.social Read the report: law.ucla.edu/sites/defaul...

We @uclalawemmett.bsky.social just released a new report comparing cost and climate outcomes between the largest public utility, LADWP, and a major investor-owned utility, SCE, both operating in LA County law.ucla.edu/news/cost-ca...

Which is better on cost and climate: publicly owned utilities or investor-owned utilities? Today, we release a report by @denisegrab.bsky.social that delves deeply into an LA case study comparing LADWP and SCE on several metrics. Thanks to all who helped on the paper! law.ucla.edu/news/cost-ca...

This new UCLA @uclalawemmett.bsky.social report by @denisegrab.bsky.social, “The Cost & Carbon of Competing Utility Models,” compares municipally owned electric utilities and investor-owned utilities. legal-planet.org/2025/10/15/w...

Arson alone does not explain the Palisades Fire. But you wouldn't have known it from the media coverage last week. This week at the Drain: legal-planet.org/2025/10/14/d...

"Angeles Ashes" is an important deep dive on rebuilding LA. Our Julia Stein spoke w/ @awalkerinla.bsky.social about the UCLA Blue-Ribbon Commission's evidence-based case for a Resilient Rebuilding Authority, to centralize accountability and work for the people of Altadena. nyra.nyc/articles/ang...

Skeptical about the growing field of Space Law? Our Jim Salzman says satellites pollute in more ways than you think. That's why he, an environmental law professor, is teaching Space Law for the first time this year. legal-planet.org/2025/10/13/w...

Big deal! legal-planet.org/2025/10/08/s...

"Trump ran for president promising to reduce the cost of living and of energy prices in particular. He has failed so far," notes the NYT editorial board. www.nytimes.com/2025/10/09/o...

Solar and wind are killing it. So is China. Two energy reports out this week and an LA Times op-ed by my @law.ucla.edu colleague @greenlawchina.bsky.social paint a clear picture of the future that may await us. 🧵 legal-planet.org/2025/10/09/s...