Search Results for: climate change

Introduction Recently, it has been reported that increasing numbers of people are dying because of heat waves and that climate change is making the phenomenon ‘longer, hotter, more likely and more dangerous’. Another report bluntly points out that the climate crisis can only create two classes: ‘those who can flee, and those who cannot’. It [...]

The US Senate rejected a proposal Wednesday to begin debate on a $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill. H.R. 3684, also named “Investing in a New Vision for the Environment and Surface Transportation in America Act” or the “INVEST in America Act,” was proposed by Representative Pete DeFazio (D-OR) in June. The bill “addresses provisions related to [...]

Climate change is recognized as “the common concern of humanity.” On June 28, 2021, the European Council enacted a climate change law to reduce greenhouse gases emissions by 55% by 2030 – from 1990 levels – and to accomplish a net zero-emissions economy by 2050. Despite the legal enshrinement of net-zero and emission targets, the [...]

The European Union on Wednesday announced the adoption of a package of proposals designed to make its climate, energy, land use, transport, and taxation policies fit for reducing net greenhouse gas emissions by at least 55 percent by 2030, compared to 1990 levels. The announcement stated that achieving these emission reductions in the next decade [...]

The French Senate voted Monday against a government-sponsored bill that would add a climate clause to the French constitution. President Emmanuel Macron had promised a referendum to include environmental protection in the heart of French constitutional principles, but the bill needed to pass both the National Assembly and the Senate. During the Senate debate, Minister [...]

The French Council of State (Conseil d’Etat) ordered the country’s federal government to take accelerated action against climate change on Thursday, threatening possible fines for noncompliance. The Council—which provides legal advice to the executive and acts as the Supreme Court for Administrative Justice—agreed on three important matters. First, France is exceeding its emissions budgets. Following [...]

In Nandita Haksar v. State of Manipur, decided May 3, 2021, the High Court of Manipur (an Indian state that borders Myanmar) granted seven Myanmarese citizens who had illegally entered India without documentation permission to approach the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Office in Delhi. This decision came after the Government of India [...]

The European Union Council adopted European climate law to make the bloc’s greenhouse gas emissions targets legally binding on Monday, giving the law the final seal of approval. This action ends the adoption procedure and sets into legislation the objective of a climate-neutral EU by 2050. The approval follows a political agreement reached with the [...]

Abstract: Regarding American foreign policy, US President Joseph Biden has now correctly embarked upon a plan to reverse derelictions of his White House predecessor. As many Trump-inflicted harms were grievous and potentially catastrophic, this plan is commendable. At the same time, even in the most optimistic historical narratives, American foreign policy has always been shaped [...]

The European Parliament on Thursday officially endorsed the Climate Law (also known as the European Green Deal), with member states voting 442-203 to transform the legislation’s political commitment into a legal one. The law “gives European citizens and businesses the legal certainty and predictability they need to plan for the transition to climate neutrality,” according [...]