A New York Climate Week edition of The Drain, our weekly roundup of environmental and climate news by @evanlgeorge.bsky.social legal-planet.org/2025/09/23/n...

We’re at New York Climate Week. Look for our Faculty Director Ted Parson traveling with his handy, collapsible bike helmet and riding Citi bikes to his talks on methane mitigation and geoengineering governance.

These stories are among the winners, announced today, of the 2025 Covering Climate Now Journalism Awards! Visit www.coveringclimatenow.org/awards to see them all, and help us celebrate this incredible work by resharing this post...

The cool kids are at climate week. But the really cool kids will be at the CA Board of Forestry zone zero meeting today. That is where the rubber meets the road on climate adaptation in the western US. Bougainville vs affordable housing for Californians as extreme wildfire risk increases.

Joanna Lewis, Sam Geall, Lauri Myllivirta, I and some others quoted in this Brook Larmer piece on China's global green-tech ambitions. This is part of the focus of my forthcoming book "Chinese Global Environmentalism," out later this year. www.nytimes.com/2025/09/18/m...

A Texas company is trying to restart an oil operation off the California coast. It now faces criminal charges alleging it knowingly violated environmental laws. @grace2e.bsky.social @latimes.com www.latimes.com/environment/...

Climate change dominated the California legislative session that just ended. Now we’re seeing Gov. Newsom sign what he calls a package of “big beautiful bills” on climate & energy. Julia Stein who runs our legislation clinic explains. #Newsom #energysky

There it is: today “Governor Newsom to sign big, beautiful bills on climate and energy affordability.” www.gov.ca.gov/2025/09/18/t...

The Justice Department filed a motion for summary judgment in its challenge to the State of Vermont’s climate superfund law. But there's a problem. 🧵

EPA’s controversial proposal to rescind the endangerment finding is already causing problems for the Trump Administration in court. DOJ today filed a brief for summary judgment challenging Vermont’s climate superfund law. But there's a problem thanks to EPA. legal-planet.org/2025/09/17/d...

A federal court in Montana is hearing from both sides in the Lighthiser v. Trump case during a two-day hearing on Sept. 16 and 17. Here's the background: legal-planet.org/2025/09/10/y...

BBC interview with one of the Korea workers who was shackled and imprisoned. This was nothing but an American own goal. Attempting to blow up the largest economic development project in Georgia history. Billions in investment, thousands of jobs for Americans. youtu.be/fcwJtWU4fn4?...

AB 1207’s extension of California's cap-and-trade program through 2045 provides much needed long-term market certainty and is further evidence of the state’s climate leadership, writes our Jason Gray. legal-planet.org/2025/09/15/c...

Now EPA wants to end the 15-year-old greenhouse gas reporting program. "They’re taking away the practical and material capacity of the federal government to do the basic elements of climate policymaking,” says Joe Goffman, who led EPA's office of air and radiation. www.nytimes.com/2025/09/12/c...

Hearings are scheduled next week in Lighthiser v. Trump, a challenge to Trump's energy executive orders brought by 22 youth. The 120-page complaint is a sweeping narrative that weaves together personal stories, global energy trends, and Beltway politics. legal-planet.org/2025/09/10/y...

Our Julia Stein and Jonathan Zasloff spoke with Debra Kahn for this smart @politico.com examination of NIMBY politics in the Palisades interfereing with the fire revocery there AND in Altadena. www.politico.com/news/magazin...

What happens now that Trump has proposed to revoke the “endangerment finding”? Join us for this 9/29 webinar to find out and weigh in. Whether you're a journalist, fellow researcher, or law student, come ask a question. ucla.zoom.us/webinar/regi...

What is the environmental law specialization at UCLA like?🔥Strong community, mentorship, and lots of hands-on learning opportunities to represent real clients and write real laws before even graduating. Like these awesome future lawyers. ⬇️ law.ucla.edu/news/how-ucl...

"The Trump Administration has abandoned the world, and the world should return the favor — with a climate twist." legal-planet.org/2025/09/05/w...

Join others in defending science by attending UCLA’s “Suspended Science Fair” highlighting the science impacted by cancelled research grants. Two events Sept 10-11.

Must-watch.

Sharing American history is powerful whether lessons learned from LA smog or Hurricane Katrina. New column w/ highlights on @coveringclimatenow.org @jeffgoodell.bsky.social @canarymedia.com @sammyroth.bsky.social @evanhalper.bsky.social @timmonsroberts.bsky.social legal-planet.org/2025/08/28/h...

If you missed "Clearing the Air: The War on Smog" last night on PBS — and you want a break from doom-scrolling about the war on science or federal employees — here's where you can stream it online now. An extraordinary story of perseverance and activism. www.pbs.org/wgbh/america...

What is environmental law? We hear that a lot. It’s the body of statutes and regulations that protect the environment and communities. But the field is so new that it’s expanding all the time.

How we teach environmental law is changing. It has to. Since January 2025, the environmental law landscape has changed perhaps more dramatically than in any other time since the presidency of Richard Nixon. Here's how our faculty are approaching classes this week. legal-planet.org/2025/08/26/h...

Faculty from @law.ucla.edu @uclalawemmett.bsky.social talk about how they are teaching environmental law differently in challenging times. #energysky legal-planet.org/2025/08/26/h...

Tonight! "Clearing the Air: The War on Smog" premieres at 9pm/8 central tonight 8/26 on PBS. Thanks to everyone who has been sharing.

Our Ann Carlson wrote her forthcoming book, "Smog and Sunshine: The Surprising Story of How Los Angeles Cleaned Up Its Air," to dispel the many myths about LA air pollution. She helps narrate this new documentary airing Tue 8/26 on @pbs.org #ClearingTheAirPBS legal-planet.org/2025/08/25/w...

There’s an “energy crisis” and yet the administration just sent a stop work order to a major energy project that is fully permitted and is 80% complete with all offshore foundations installed and 45 out of 65 wind turbines installed. nam10.safelinks.protection.outlook.com?url=https%3A...

Our Prof. Jonathan Zasloff has a new article in The Urban Lawyer that will challenge everything you think you know about the Owens Valley, LA's growth, and William Mulholland.

Public media with no paywalls is key for keeping local communities informed on weather, climate & enviro stories. We need local stations to stay strong. Special shout out to climate reporters and those in @npr.org’s important Public Radio Climate Collaborative from Alaska to LA to W. Virginia.

At a moment when environmental regulations, public television, and research universities like UCLA are all under attack, this new documentary on LA‘s smog, and how it helped create modern environmental regulations and agencies, seems especially timely.

I use this example in my classes and have thought “someone should make a documentary about this.” Hats off to those who made this happen and look forward to watching!

At a time when we need reminders of what motivates environmental regulation, here comes a great new PBS documentary "Clearing the Air: The War on Smog." Our @law.ucla.edu faculty help tell the tale of how LA’s noxious smog led to the creation of the EPA and Clean Air Act www.pbs.org/wgbh/america...

After each and every climate-fueled disaster, we are consumed by a secondary emergency of misinformation. The recent @counterhate.com report points to why and what to do about it. legal-planet.org/2025/08/19/w...

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This Saturday would have been the third birthday of the Inflation Reduction Act. There are a lot of stories this week about where US climate policy goes from here. Our @evanlgeorge.bsky.social has a roundup in this week's edition of The Drain. legal-planet.org/2025/08/19/w...

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A silver lining in Trump’s anti-climate agenda? Our Prof. Ann Carlson has a Q&A with Alex Nieves in Politico's California Climate newsletter about the endangerment finding, the Supreme Court and what electric vehicle policies she wants California to push forward. www.politico.com/newsletters/...

Feels like #Erin heating up the season is just the time to make sure you've got some hurricane gurus in your feed. Fortunately @bmcnoldy.bsky.social has you covered with one of my favorite starter packs: go.bsky.app/88mXQKD

If there's a better courtyard for studying law, please show us the evidence. Can't wait to welcome students back to @law.ucla.edu this month.

"These days, I’ll take progress on climate change where I can get it," writes our Cara Horowitz. "And one place to look right now is up — literally." legal-planet.org/2025/08/14/h...

Got questions about methane satellite data? We've got answers. Our new report provides an accessible introduction to the science & technology of methane remote sensing for policymakers. law.ucla.edu/news/remote-...

I kind of cannot believe how much is on the agenda for the California legislature related to energy in the next month. An incomplete list to give a sense of the magnitude:

The energy transition is being tripped up. America is acting like "a doddering industrial giant — too hooked on oi and gas revenues, and the political power that results from them, to exercise the economic muscles it will need in the future."

As we've been writing about, California is on the path toward creating gas-free neighborhood zones — as many as 30. Here’s a roundup of the input from last week's public forums and written comments in the #CPUC docket, provided by @evanlgeorge.bsky.social. legal-planet.org/2025/08/11/h...

Tomorrow, I'm talking with @billmckibben.bsky.social & @jamiehenn.bsky.social about climate activism in the age of Trump. They are trying to launch a new phase, wherein activists rally *for* clean energy projects, not just *against* dirty energy. Got any questions?

LA Mayor Karen Bass’ blocking of duplexes in wildfire devastated communities is "a nasty piece of plutocracy," writes our Prof. Jonathan Zasloff. legal-planet.org/2025/08/08/m...

This may sound positive, but it's deeply disingenuous. SB 1221 requires priority zones - but doesn't make those zones exclusive! If gas utilities want to prioritize widespread zonal decarb, they're free to do so in parallel with 1221's pilot process! CPUC should call this bluff and require both.

Watching California's SB 1221 pilot projects to decarbonize whole neighborhoods? The gas utilities have submitted their initial system maps and priority neighborhood proposals for CPUC review, and these submissions are largely coming up short. 🧵