Climate Change

The Threat of Climate Change under the Endangered Species Act

Last month the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (“FWS”) proposed to list the polar bear (Ursus maritimus) as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act (“ESA”). The primary reason for listing the polar bear was the affect of climate change on sea ice habitat in the Arctic. In short, the FWS concluded that the diminishing extent of sea ice in the Arctic was adversely affecting polar bear habitat, resulting in difficulty hunting, increased difficulty breeding and increased movement to obtain food.

The Ticos, Their Trees, And Climate Change

In 1949, Costa Rica abolished its armed forces, thereby becoming an exception to the typical mid-century Latin American nation. A small country, its economy depended largely on coffee and bananas. Due to its isolation and the scarcity of native American slave labor during the Spanish colonization, Costa Rica avoided the oligarchical latifundia system pervasive throughout much of the rest of Latin America. Rather, the private lands of the country were largely held in relatively small parcels by educated and hard-working Ticos (as the Costa Ricans call themselves).

Shaping the Climate Change Policy in Your State

Earlier this week I attended a meeting of the Utah Climate Change Stakeholders Task Force, which was created to provide policy recommendations to the Governor’s Blue-Ribbon Climate Change Commission.  Similar groups have been created in other states, including New Mexico, Arizona and California.  The Task Force is considering an extensive menu of policy options culled from a variety of state and federal initiatives, ranging from energy efficiency standards to tax incentives for conservation to emissions trading to mandatory reductions of greenhouse gases.