News
*courtesy if the UCLA Law Environmental programs newsletter

Prof. Carlson tapped to Nat'l Academies panel on limiting climate change 
Professor Ann Carlson, faculty director of the Emmett Center on Climate Change and the Environment, was appointed to the National Academies of Sciences' Panel on Limiting the Magnitude of Future Climate Change.  The panel will report to Congress to inform and guide the nation's response to climate change.
  "Ann is an obvious choice for the National Academies panel," said Dean Michael H. Schill.  "Her expertise in environmental federalism and the complex relationship between states and the federal government, with a particular focus on climate change, make her an outstanding choice to provide guidance on how America best meets the challenge of climate change."

UCLA in India on Climate Law  
UCLA Law's Emmett Center on Climate Change and the Environment cosponsored an international conference in India last month, at which Professor Jonathan Zasloff spoke, on the topic of Climate Change: Law, Policy and Governance.     The conference, organized jointly with Jindal Global Law School and Chapman University, was held outside Delhi and confronted key questions of greenhouse gas reduction obligations as between the developed and the developing world.  For some of Prof. Zasloff's reflections on India's climate change policy, read his Legal Planet post on the subject.  

Atty Gen Jerry Brown, Real Estate Leaders talk sustainable development    This spring, the law school hosted California Attorney General Jerry Brown and a roomful of the state's most progressive real estate developers, builders, and architects for a workshop on the future of climate-friendly real estate development in California.  
 
The workshop was part of a series, funded by the Bank of America Foundation, focused on helping California's business community prosper in an era of climate change regulation.  "This is a terrific opportunity to partner with business leaders to find solutions that work for the environment and the bottom line," said Cara Horowitz, Andrew Sabin Family Foundation Executive Director of the Emmett Center on Climate Change and the Environment.
  Coming soon: a white paper on real estate solutions and prescriptions for change developed during the workshop.

Students file briefs in the California Supreme Court with Enviro Law Clinic   
Students enrolled in the Environmental Law Clinic have recently filed three friend of the court briefs in California Supreme Court cases involving the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), arguing for broader protections for the environment.  In the first of these cases, Save Tara v. City of West Hollywood, a local government improperly waited until after committing resources to a development before performing environmental impact review on the project.  The Supreme Court agreed with the Clinic's position and held that the city was required to conduct earlier environmental review.

At the cutting edge: Nanotechnology    
One of more difficult jobs faced by environmental regulators is addressing nanotech particles--which are so small they may pose significant and novel public health risks.  The law school's new Initiative on Sustainable Technology (launched last year with the School of Public Health) held a Working Conference on Nanotechnology Policy in the spring, bringing together experts from around the world to discuss new regulatory approaches to the nanotechnology question.   California Assemblyman Mike Feuer, who has worked on legislation to address nanoparticles with help from UCLA School of Law Professor Tim Malloy (pictured above), served as the keynote speaker and emphasized the importance of this emerging topic for safeguarding community health. 

Prof. Raustiala hosts Wangari Maathai  
Through the UCLA Burkle Center for International Relations, which he directs, Professor Kal Raustiala hosted a wide-ranging conversation with Nobel Peace Prize laureate Dr. Wangari Maathai, founder of the Green Belt Movement, author of "The Challenge for Africa" and longtime environmental and democracy advocate.   Dr. Maathai spoke about the political, financial and environmental challenges face by Africans and offered up a strong vision of the road to progress for her continent.

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