Sustainability81
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Leon Billings, Tom Jorling and the Origins of U.S. Environmental Law
If you had the experience of hearing Leon Billings teach and tell stories, it is hard to believe his voice is no longer with us. He was a great American and an important figure in American environmental history.
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President-Elect Trump’s Environmental Agenda
As we face a Donald Trump administration, we must reflect on the development of environmental policy and politics of the past. Despite the skepticism that President-elect Trump could halt progress on sustainability efforts such as research and development for renewable energy, it seems that the average person values a clean and safe environment. Donald Trump…
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Past This Absurd Election and Toward the Sustainable City
Our cities can bring us together in wonderful shared experiences; now it’s time for our political processes to reflect rather than refute that reality.
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The Candidates Agree: America’s Aging Infrastructure Needs a Fix
Once infrastructure decisions are made, they are locked in place, often for decades, sometimes for centuries. Recognizing this fact, there is an urgency to think in new ways, rather than simply stick with established practices and systems.
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Mass Transit in the Sustainable City
An effective transportation system is to the sustainable city what a well-functioning circulatory system is to a healthy human being. New York City has developed along the path of its subway system.
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Toward a Carbon-Neutral Future: Why Land and Resource Rights Matter
Climate change is a destabilizing force that touches all sectors of society, whether agriculture, forestry, infrastructure, energy, water or health. The inherently intertwined and complex nature of climate change impacts means that strong institutions, laws and policies are critical to ensuring that these impacts don’t impinge on the rights of local populations. Key among these…
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The Urgency Of Adapting To Climate Change
While ideologues continue to deny the reality of climate change, local governments do not have the luxury of indulging in the Tea Party and Koch Brothers’ favorite environmental fantasy. The impacts are real. We don’t need to shut down the economy, but we need to learn to run it without burning the place down or…
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Can Climate Litigation Support Global Action on Climate Change?
The Paris Climate Agreement officially goes into effect Nov. 4. But it will take much more to achieve its goals. Legal challenges could well provide one way for individuals, civil society and governments to support and reinforce global action on climate change.
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How a Student Project Helped to Change JetBlue’s Course
What began as research at Columbia University became the catalyst for improving the sustainability of an airline, as JetBlue recently forged a 10-year deal to buy 330 million gallons of jet fuel made partially from plants.
