​The Emmett Center is dedicated to studying and advancing law and policy solutions to the climate change crisis. The Emmett Center works hand in hand with UCLA School of Law's leading environmental faculty and programs, including the Environmental Law Center, the Frank G. Wells Environmental Law Clinic, and the Evan Frankel Environmental Law and Policy Program.


Cara Horowitz, '01, is the Executive Director of the Emmett Center, in a position generously funded by and named for the Andrew Sabin Family Foundation.

"Climate change is a complex issue impacting us all. The Emmett Center will be an important new research center studying the broadest scope of these issues and generating new findings to further educate the public about climate change concerns. Dan Emmett and his family are to be commended for their forward-thinking philanthropy and for their contributions to UCLA's research and teaching on the environment." — California Air Resources Board Chair Mary Nichols

Learn more about the Emmett Center.

 
 

Recent Publications:

Publication | Sea-Level Rise & Southern California Local Governments
Megan Herzog & Sean Hecht

CA coast 8.JPGIn the Summer 2013 volume of Hasting West Northwest Journal of Environmental Law & Policy, Emmett/Frankel Fellow Megan Herzog and Environmental Law Center Executive Director Sean Hecht discuss how Southern California local governments can seize sea-level rise adaptation opportunities while minimizing legal risk.

Emmett Center's Edward Parson and Harvard's David Keith propose new structure to guide geoengineering research​

Edward ParsonIn an article​ published March 15th in the journal Science, Edward Parson, Faculty Co-Director of the Emmett Center, and David Keith of Harvard University outline how the current deadlock on governance of geoengineering research poses real threats to the sound management of climate risk. Their article advances concrete and actionable proposals for allowing further research—but not deployment—and for creating scientific and legal guidance, as well as addressing public concerns. 

Vision 2021 LA: A Model Sustainability Agenda for Los Angeles' Next Mayor and City Council

vision 2021 la.pngFaculty and researchers at the Emmett Center on Climate Change and the Environment, UCLA's Institute of the Environment and Sustainability, and the law school's Evan Frankel Environmental Law and Policy Program have crafted the first comprehensive environmental sustainability plan for the city of Los Angeles.  Vision 2021 LA addresses all the major impacts the city has on the environment — from energy, air and water to environmental justice and the green economy. It contains 11 target areas, 24 goals and hundreds of benchmarks to ensure accountability. Vision 2021 LA seeks to turn Los Angeles into the greenest big city in the nation, with a heavy focus on decarbonization, or reducing the city's carbon footprint.  You can read UCLA's press release here.

Rules of the Game Recap 

​In August 2011, the Emmett Center examined California's proposed cap-and-trade program. In this two-page recap, we review the program as adopted and find our conclusions still​ apply: the California Air Resources Board has designed a cap-and-trade program that should avoid gaming and market manipulation problems sometimes seen in other programs. Here​, we highlight our report's top conclusions in light of developments in the trading program. You can find our original report here.



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What's new?

Forum | Science, Democracy, and Community Decisions on Fracking
July 25, 2013 | 2:00-5:00 pm | UCLA (room TBA)

Together with the Union of Concerned Scientists and the UCLA Institute of the Environment and Sustainability, the Emmett Center invites the public to a forum that will convene leading thinkers and key stakeholders for a candid discussion on how the best available science can help communities make informed decisions on hydraulic fracturing ("fracking") amidst the current expansion in drilling for shale oil and gas across the United States.  RSVP here.

Lecture & Panel | What Climate Change Means for LA: Likely Impacts and Proactive Policies
May 31, 2013 | 9:00 am (breakfast); 9:30-11:30 am (lecture) | UCLA's Luskin School of Public Affairs, 2nd Floor, Rm. 2355

alexhall.jpgJoin us for a half-day seminar featuring groundbreaking climate prediction research by Alex Hall, UCLA climate scientist and professor, followed by a panel discussion with climate policy experts, including the Emmett Center's Cara Horowitz; J.R. DeShazo of the UCLA Luskin Center for Innovation; and Jonathan Parfrey of Climate Resolve.  RSVP here.

News | Emmett Center Advises Congressional Task Force on Federal Actions to Address Climate Change
congressional response.png

The Emmett Center was among the key organizations contacted in January 2013 by the U.S. Congress' Bicameral Task Force on Climate Change to provide its views on actions the federal government could take to mitigate and adapt to climate change.  Read our response.

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Want to keep up with what's new in environmental law?  Check out our law and policy blog, Legal Planet.
 
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