Category Archives: Environment
Endangerment Finding Revoked
On February 12, the Trump Administration revoked the 2009 “endangerment finding” that greenhouse gasses endanger human health and welfare. They claimed this was the “single greatest deregulatory action” in US history. I think it’s the greatest single payoff to the fossil fuel industry. No one should be surprised. Continue reading
Advancing the Rights of Nature
I’m pleased to share that a paper I wrote for a class on environmental law was published last month by the American Indian Law Journal. Continue reading
Clearing the Air
Hannah Ritchie’s new book, Clearing the Air, answers 50 common questions about climate change. These questions often arise from contradictory claims and outright misinformation that roil public debate and sow doubt and confusion about what we should do. Ritchie provides clear, well-researched information to dispel myths and misinformation. Continue reading
In the Spirit of Right and Respectful Relations
In 2023, a group of Pacific Northwest tribal leaders met on Orcas Island off the coast of Washington State for conversations about living in the spirit of right and respectful relations with creation, history and the law, identity, honor and nature. This book is the result. Continue reading
Is a River Alive?
In this fabulously written book, Robert Macfarlane journeys to rivers in three very different landscapes — the cloud-forests of Ecuador, the city of Chennai, India, and the wilderness of northern Quebec — seeking answers to the question are rivers alive and what would it mean if they were? Continue reading
My Testimony at the EPA
The EPA is holding virtual public hearings this week on its proposal to rescind the 2009 finding that greenhouse gas emissions endanger public health and welfare. If they get away with it, this will gut most greenhouse gas regulations in the US. Here’s what I said to them. Continue reading
The EPA’s “Dagger to the Heart” of US Climate Regulation
On August 1, 2025, the US Environmental Protection Agency announced it was proposing to reconsider its 2009 endangerment finding about greenhouse gas emissions. “Reconsidering” here means rescind, revoke, roll back. In this post I look at why this action is a dagger to the heart of greenhouse gas regulation. Continue reading
Obligations of States in Respect of Climate Change
There was a small glimmer of good news on climate change last week: The International Court of Justice ruled that nation states have legal obligations under climate treaties and customary international law to protect “the climate system and other parts of the environment from anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions.” Continue reading
The Trees Are Speaking
The Trees Are Speaking is a wonderful book about the old-growth salmon forests of Oregon, Washington, Vancouver Island and Maine and about the people trying save them. It explores the beautiful yet surprising connection between trees and salmon that sustains these forests and may very well help sustain us too. Continue reading
The Carbon Footprint of Using ChatGPT
There’s a growing concern that our increasing use of artificial intelligence is putting a strain on electricity grids around the world. More use of AI means companies like Google, OpenAI, and Meta are building more data centers stuffed with more … Continue reading
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