Atmospheric Trust Litigation: Securing a Constitutional Right to a Stable Climate System

摘要

It is a privilege to be here in Boulder, which is a place I think of as a hub of climate action, with its young climate warriors, its renewable energy visionaries, and its dedicated league of citizens determined to create a safe future. And it is a supreme honor to give the lecture named after the two legal giants who have so shaped Indian law, natural resources law, and public lands law with their brilliant vision and dedication to justice. My honor is magnified by the immense gratitude I have towards Professor Charles Wilkinson, who has been an invaluable mentor and guiding light throughout my entire teaching career. He is the person who, in an unparalleled way, steps back from the law as it appears in the moment and contextualizes it in history, recognizing and identifying its organizing force through the ages. He is the one who captures the essence of legal principles and their driving rationale and inspires us all to reach towards the law no matter how daunting the challenge we face. It was largely his scholarship that led me into the heart of the public trust doctrine many years ago.