Centers Of Excellence

Emmett Institute on Climate Change & the Environment

A leading environmental law program at the #1 public university, the Emmett Institute educates future leaders and develops solutions to the climate crisis and environmental justice challenges.

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Our Work at a Glance

We use our legal expertise, applied research, and unique educational opportunities to shape environmental law and climate policy at the local, national, and international levels.

The Emmett Institute is the central environmental law hub at UCLA. Since 2008, the Emmett Institute has grown to become one of the top environmental law programs in the country. Our faculty members are renowned for their public service, teaching excellence, and scholarship in state, federal, and international law. Located in Los Angeles, a diverse city facing unique environmental justice and climate change challenges, the Emmett Institute provides J.D., LL.M. and M.S. students unmatched opportunities for mentoring, career placement, and experiential learning. Through groundbreaking research, public interest initiatives, and impactful legal clinics, the Emmett Institute helps shape climate change and environmental law and policy in California, the United States, and jurisdictions around the world. Our alumni are environmental leaders across all sectors doing critical work at government agencies from Sacramento to Washington D.C. and beyond, as well as law firms, nonprofits, corporations, law schools and universities around the globe. Tapping this network, the Emmett Institute regularly convenes public and private events to drive real-world law and policy change.

Emmett Institute's 2023 Annual Report

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Projects

Knowledge Into Action

The Emmett Institute is home to 10 core faculty members as well as a team of law fellows and staff who manage a wide-ranging slate of projects that address urgent environmental challenges and provide hands-on training to future lawyers.

Our faculty and students draw on the resources of the country's premier public university to develop solutions to complex problems like climate overshoot, air quality, extreme heat, drought, coastal erosion, deforestation, and decreased biodiversity. Read more about all our projects.
Training Future Leaders

The Emmett Institute is dedicated to training the next generation of leaders in environmental law and policy.
Advancing Methane Regulation

A globally focused initiative to inform policymaking and advance methane regulation using remote sensing and remote measurement.

The Governors’ Climate and Forests Task Force

A major sub-national coalition focused on reducing tropical deforestation and related greenhouse gas emissions.  
Environmental Justice

UCLA Law faculty and students contribute to protections for communities disproportionately affected by climate change, air and water pollution, and other environmental harms.
Geongineering Governance

The Geoengineering Governance Project at the UCLA Emmett Institute is a world-leading initiative for the study of legal and policy issues presented by solar geoengineering and carbon dioxide removal technologies
Federal Environmental Regulation

Emmett Institute faculty are among the leading U.S. scholars of federal environmental law and frequently engage with the application of federal law in practice.
California’s Environmental Laws

Through research, education, and service, the Emmett Institute works to support and improve California’s climate and environmental policies.
Los Angeles Sustainability

Emmett Institute faculty are focused on addressing climate change, environmental injustice, water insecurity, and other important sustainability and public health issues in the Los Angeles region.
China Environmental Governance

China, the world's largest emitter of greenhouse gas pollution, faces many environmental challenges. The institute is addressing these issues by conducting research, engaging with policymakers, and providing learning opportunities for students.
Energy Law and Policy

With the world undergoing a transition to clean energy, the Emmett Institute provides research to guide a path forward for government and industry and training opportunities for future leaders.
Natural Resources Law and Policy

Emmett Institute faculty are leading experts on natural resources law, including water safety, the governance of tropical forests, protection of the California coast, and more.

Who We Are

Student Opportunities ​​​​​​

UCLA Law studentsUCLA Law offers J.D., LL.M., and M.S. students one of the country's most extensive environmental course offerings, covering a range of state, federal, and international law issues. The Emmett Institute provides students with scholarship funding, experiential learning, and connections to an unparalleled network of alumni in leadership positions across the country. Through one-on-one mentoring, our faculty helps students find meaningful internships and early-career positions in government, nonprofits, and private practice. The Emmett Institute also gives students unique opportunities to work at the forefront of climate and environmental advocacy in California and around the world. As part of our law clinic, students advocate on behalf of real clients. In our legislation clinic, students help make California law. Working with our staff, students also gain real-world skills for negotiations, public speaking, engaging with the press and utilizing storytelling tools as part of their advocacy.

  • Environmental Law Specialization

    The Environmental Law Specialization offers J.D. students a robust program of study with some of the country's top scholars in environmental law — who have also earned accolades for their teaching excellence. Our doctrinal environmental law courses cover an array of topics from energy law to environmental justice. 

    Students in the specialization can represent nonprofit advocacy groups and government agencies in the Frank G. Wells Environmental Law Clinic, engage with elected officials and their staff through the California Environmental Legislation and Policy Clinic, enroll in several practical and simulation courses, and serve as interns with leading nonprofits and government agencies.

    Students in the specialization benefit from one-on-one faculty advising, with each student developing an individualized curriculum package. Students completing the specialization create a demonstrated record of study and experience in environmental law and prepare for careers with public-interest organizations, government agencies, and private law firms. Upon successful completion of the required courses, students are awarded a diploma notation at graduation.

  • Internships

    Second- and third-year students may gain valuable real-world experience by choosing to participate in UCLA Law’s externship program. UCLA’s environmental law internships include opportunities with government agencies like the California Attorney General's Office, and with non-profits, including Natural Resources Defense Council and Earthjustice.

    Students can choose from full-time and part-time internships. Full-time interns spend an entire semester working for the agency or organization and receive full law school credit, while part-time interns split their time between classes and their internship and receive credit for each. Internships let students work with practicing environmental lawyers, develop skills, and gain insight into future job opportunities.

    • Career Advising

      Students interested in environmental law careers receive one-on-one advising with Emmett Institute faculty on career tracks, internships, and post-graduate employment. With support from the Emmett Institute, our students have been appointed to highly competitive clerkships and fellowships.

      The Emmett Institute fosters a community of prominent alumni in leadership roles at government agencies, non-profit organizations, and private practice. Our graduates practice law and serve their communities in California and across the country. Alumni frequently speak on campus, participate in Emmett Institute social events and career panels, and welcome engagement with current students. 

      Students pursuing environmental law careers also benefit from UCLA Law’s Office of Career Services and career advising through the Office of Public Interest Programs.

      Emmett Institute faculty are committed to providing resources for the environmental law community in California and across the country. Our faculty maintain a broad network of professionals in environmental law and policy. Several of our faculty members hold leadership positions in the California Lawyers Association's Environmental Law Section.  

      • Scholarships and Funding

        The Emmett Institute offers tuition scholarships for incoming students looking to devote their careers to climate change, environmental justice, and other environmental law issues. These scholarships include the Will Scholarship in Environmental Law, the Shirley Shapiro Scholarship in Environmental Law, and the Emmett Scholarship in Environmental Law.

        The Institute regularly supports public interest summer placements in environmental and climate law. We have provided financial support for student internships at non-profits such as Communities for a Better Environment, Natural Resources Defense Council, Center for Biological Diversity, and government agencies like the U.S. Department of Justice Environment and Natural Resources Division, California Air Resources Board, and California Attorney General's Office, among others.

        UCLA Law students can receive funding for summer environmental work through the Public Interest Law Fund.

        • Curriculum

          Students interested in environmental law and policy can select from many courses led by Emmett Institute faculty celebrated for their teaching excellence. Visit the UCLA Law Curriculum Guide for a list of current environmental courses.

          • Frank G. Wells Environmental Law Clinic

            Founded in 1994 as one of the first law school clinics in the country to focus on environmental issues, the Frank G. Wells Environmental Law Clinic provides students opportunities to take on important environmental cases and projects while representing non-profit groups and other public interest clients.

            Students have successfully challenged the grant of a permit for coal mining on Native American lands in Arizona on behalf of Hopi tribal members; drafted petitions and comment letters urging changes in federal law to reduce greenhouse gas emissions for the Center for Biological Diversity; and worked through the United Nations on behalf of small island states fighting for aggressive international climate change action.

            • California Environmental Legislation & Policy Clinic

              The California Environmental Legislation & Policy Clinic provides a hands-on opportunity for UCLA Law students to engage with state senators and assembly members, legislative staffers, advocates, and stakeholders on cutting-edge environmental issues.  Student work has informed successful legislative efforts related to wildfire, groundwater, single-use plastics, and extreme heat. We have worked closely with elected officials including State Senator Ben Allen, Assemblymember Joaquin Arambula, Assemblymember Eduardo Garcia, former Speaker of the Assembly Anthony Rendon, State Senator Henry Stern, Assemblymember Lori Wilson, and U.S. Rep. (and then-State Senator) Sydney Kamlager-Dove.

            • Environmental Law Society

              The mission of UCLA's Environmental Law Society is to educate students about current issues in environmental law and policy, provide a space to facilitate conversations about environmental problem-solving, and foster a supportive community for students interested in addressing environmental issues.

              ELS plans speaking events featuring environmental law practitioners and professors, arranges an annual trip to the Environmental Law Conference at Yosemite, where UCLA Law typically has the largest student delegation. ELS coordinates student participation in inter-school environmental moot court and competitions like the California Lawyers Association's annual environmental law negotiations, hosted at UCLA Law every other year.

              ELS also organizes environmentally-focused activities for students, and works to green the law school.

              • UCLA Journal of Environmental Law and Policy

                The UCLA Journal of Environmental Law and Policy is one of the nation’s top environmental law journals, and has a staff of nearly 50 students. The journal publishes twice a year and accepts articles from leading environmental law scholars and practitioners, as well as UCLA student-written comments and book reviews.

              Media, Events, and Resources

              Speaker at an Emmett Institute syposium

              Publications

              News
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              Oct 30, 2023

              Alex Wang speaks with the AP about Governor Newsom's trip to China

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              Publications
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              Dec 01, 2023

              Advancing Methane Regulation: Implications of New Monitoring Technologies

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              Nov 13, 2023

              A Heavy Lift: Policy Solutions to Accelerate Deployment of Zero-Emission Cargo Handling Equipment at the Ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles and Beyond

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              Events
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              12 08
              12:00 PM - 1:30 PM
              Zoom Webinar
              The (Un)Fulfilled Right to Housing in California: Housing, Discrimination, Criminalization and Race at the 75th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
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