I recently attended excellent programs at International Law Weekend 2009. 
Professor Claire Kelly moderated the highly useful program: “Trade and Climate Change.” Many Brooklyn Law School students were members of the audience. At this program, Laura Campbell of Environmental Law International discussed two current U.S. climate change bills: H.R. 2454 (which the House passed on June 26, 2009) and S. 1733 (which is the focus of current Senate hearings). These two bills would require an 83% reduction (from 2005 levels) in emissions of gases that promote global warming by 2050. Ms. Campbell noted that the Senate bill sets a 20% reduction goal by 2020, as compared to the House bill’s 17% reduction goal by 2020. Another panelist, Professor Steve Charnovitz, recommended that the U.S. Congress pass legislation to allow “fast track” negotiation of environmental treaties. He also suggested that there should be a moratorium on climate tariffs and charges pending negotiation of international principles to address burden sharing, unequal carbon prices and “free riders.”
Research Tips:
1) BLS Library’s subscription database, CQ Weekly, is an excellent tool to track developments regarding these U.S. climate change bills. If a member of the Brooklyn Law School community wishes to obtain a copy of an article about these bills (“Climate Bill Sponsors Commence Public Hearings, Private Negotiations”) published in the November 2, 2009 issue of CQ Weekly, feel free to e-mail: refdesk@brooklaw.edu.
2) BLS Library owns a recently published book recommended during this program: Global Warming and the World Trading System (2009) by Gary Clyde Hufbauer, program panelist Steve Charnovitz and Jisun Kim.
3) For further information, see the 2009 WTO/UNEP report: Trade and Climate Change
