Climate Change in the Courtroom

The following MP3 was recorded on Tuesday, June 17, 2008.

Patrick Parenteau

Can litigation solve climate change? No, but it can help galvanize public support and goad the sluggish political process into action before it’s too late. It can also draw attention to the plight of those most at risk––from the Inuit of Alaska to the Bengali of Bangladesh––and provide access to justice for victims that are already suffering the effects of the industrialized world’s destruction of the biosphere.

http://brennan.vermontlaw.edu/files/it/HTLectures08/HT_Jun17_08.mp3

Whales’ Tales: Sonar and National Defense

The following MP3 was recorded on Thursday, June 5, 2008.

Stephen Dycus and David Mears

Recent litigation brought by the NRDC to protect marine mammals from the Navy’s peace-time use of sonar raises questions about the application of environmental laws to military activities at home and abroad, as well as issues regarding the authority of the President to override acts of Congress. The Environmental and Natural Resources Law Clinic submitted an amicus brief to the Ninth Circuit in this case.

http://brennan.vermontlaw.edu/files/it/HTLectures08/HT_Jun05_08.mp3

Cell Phones, China, and Corporate Responsibility in a Global Economy

This MP3 was recorded on Tuesday, July 29, 2008.

Jacob Park

Sustainable business specialist Jacob Park will examine the corporate environmental and social responsibility dimensions of the cell phone industry in China. This is part of a multiyear “Business and Environmental Value Opportunities in the Global Supply Chain of China’s Information and Communication Technology Industry” project funded by the AT&T Industrial Ecology Faculty Fellowship Program.

http://brennan.vermontlaw.edu/files/it/HTLectures08/HT_Jul29_08.mp3

Which Path Will the Dragon Take––Green or Grey?: The Latest Developments in China’s Environmental Governance

This MP3 was recorded on Tuesday, July 22, 2008.

Tseming Yang and Jingjing Liu

In February, China’s water pollution law was amended to impose much tougher penalties, including language suggesting potential citizen suits. In March, the State Environmental Protection Administration became the Ministry of Environmental Protection, achieving full cabinet rank for the first time. What do these developments mean to the future of environmental law in China?

http://brennan.vermontlaw.edu/files/it/HTLectures08/HT_Jul22_08.mp3

Conservation Easement Enforcement: Protection for Perpetuity

This MP3 was recorded on Thursday, July 17, 2008.

Jessica Jay

Why enforce conservation easements? When does easement enforcement begin? What types of violations are occurring? Who is violating and who is enforcing easements? How do you enforce a conservation easement? An examination of the permanence of land conservation through the lens of legal challenges to, and the durability of, conservation easements, based on the current state of law.

http://brennan.vermontlaw.edu/files/it/HTLectures08/HT_Jul17_08.mp3

Covering the Environment in the Lone Star State

This MP3 was recorded on Wednesday, July 16, 2008.

Asher Price

Competing claims about global warming; warring words over development and water quality; spin and alarm about nuclear power…how does a journalist cut through claims by dueling scientists and steer readers to the truth behind all the sniping? And in a state like Texas, how do contradictory claims shape state law and policy or bog it down?

http://brennan.vermontlaw.edu/files/it/HTLectures08/HT_Jul16_08.mp3

The Economic Dynamics of Climate Change

This MP3 was recorded on Tuesday, July 15, 2008.

David Driesen

This lecture explains how an economic dynamic approach can help us address global climate change. This approach produces a positive economic dynamic fostering the innovations necessary for long term progress on the issue. It offers an alternative to the traditional emphasis on static efficiency in environmental policy.

http://brennan.vermontlaw.edu/files/it/HTLectures08/HT_Jul15_08.mp3

The Killing Fields: Reducing Casualties in the Battle Between Endangered Species and Pesticide Law

The following MP3 was recorded on Thursday, July 10, 2008.

Mary Jane Angelo

In the battle of conflicting goals and standards among the U.S. species protection laws and U.S. pesticide law, the unwitting casualties are the millions of birds, fish, andother species killed, and the hundreds of species at risk of extinction. Legislative reform seeks to eliminate the conflict while promoting wildlife protection and availability of pesticides in the public interest.

http://brennan.vermontlaw.edu/files/it/HTLectures08/HT_Jul10_08.mp3

Saws and Effect: The Terrifying Juggernaut of Illegal Logging

The following MP3 was recorded on Tuesday, July 8, 2008.

Robert Anderson

Widespread illegal logging in developing countries destroys habitat, affects climate, and feeds a multibillion dollar annual transnational trade in contraband wood. We will discuss current legislative, NGO, and business efforts in the U.S. and abroad to address this environmental crisis. Anderson’s views do not necessarily reflect those of the U.S. Department of Justice.

http://www.vermontlaw.edu/files/it/HTLectures08/HT_Jul08_08.mp3

New England’s Fragile Coastal Ecology

The following MP3 was recorded on Thursday, June 26, 2008.

Amy Quinton

Tidal marshes provide habitat and food for fish, crabs, mussels, and shore birds. They play a vital role in buffering the shore against flooding and storms. While they are one of the most productive ecosystems on earth, they’re also constantly threatened by development, pollution, invasive species, and global warming. We’ll take an audio tour of the marshes and their fragile ecology.

http://brennan.vermontlaw.edu/files/it/HTLectures08/HT_Jun26_08.mp3