The proliferation of data centers across the United States represents new “loads” (i.e., sources of demand) on the electrical grid. Data centers require enormous amounts of energy to power and cool their computing systems that operate continuously or near-continuously. To
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Climate Disclosure in Retreat
At every level of government, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions disclosure regulations that saw meaningful progress only a few years ago are now in retreat. Last week, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) proposed rescinding its 2024 corporate climate-disclosure rule,
Community Benefits Agreements and Data Center Development
Data center development and its climate, environmental, and energy impacts have emerged as a central and hotly debated issue facing local governments in 2026. Various studies have explored, among other things, the large amounts of land required for data centers
The Legal Framework for Direct Ocean Carbon Capture and Storage
Interest in marine carbon dioxide removal (mCDR) has risen in the last decade as the deadlines to meet global climate temperature goals draw closer. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) tells us that the 1.5°C and 2°C temperature targets
Local Moratoria Against Data Center Construction: Considerations for Municipal Governments
Rapid data center development is challenging local governments’ ability to manage the environmental challenges these facilities raise. Cities, towns, and counties are facing both uncertainty about the scope of those impacts and growing opposition to data centers from residents.
Ohio’s Clean Energy Siting Conundrum: Local Government Opposition, Serving the Public Interest, and the Appeal that Might Solve the Puzzle
Clean energy siting across the nation is facing enormous challenges. Local opposition is widespread and rapidly increasing in many areas. One example is Ohio, where government opposition is a byproduct of state legislation and also the result of coordinated campaigns
Moving Sustainable Proteins Beyond Marketplace Bottlenecks: White Paper Release
Climate advocates may hope to see dramatic commercial breakthroughs over the next several decades that reshape emissions-intensive components of our everyday lives, such as our dietary choices, household energy use, and transportation habits. Yet transforming these consumer sectors will require
Financial Speculation in Capacity Markets Undermines the Energy Transition
Compounding their significant climate and environmental harms, fossil fuels are also volatile commodities. In 2022, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine disrupted the supply of natural gas, causing prices to spike. More recently, the United States’ war on Iran resulted in the
Climate change in the High Court of Australia: Will a coal mine’s contribution to climate change cause likely environmental impacts ‘in the locality’?
Nick Scott, Harj Narulla, Nicholas Young, Michael Burger, Harro van Asselt, Jessica Wentz and Maria Antonia Tigre
In May, the High Court of Australia (HCA) will hear MACH Energy Australia v Denman Aberdeen Muswellbrook Scone Healthy Environment Group & Anor
Staff News: Daniel Metzger is Promoted to Director of the Cities Climate Law Initiative and Hema Lochan Joins the Renewable Energy Legal Defense Initiative
We are pleased to announce that Daniel Metzger has been promoted to Director of the Sabin Center’s Cities Climate Law Initiative. In this role, Daniel will continue to research legal tools that cities and other local governments can use to