Climate change is driving more frequent and more severe wildfires. The electricity grid plays a dual role in this crisis: it can both spark wildfires and be damaged by them, leading to widespread economic and social consequences. The economic and human costs of wildfires are immense. Interventions designed to reduce the risk of electric system ignitions are expensive too.
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J.D Environmental Law
This list shows the 10 sites in the U.S. oil and gas sector with the largest persistent emissions rates, as seen by key satellite instruments in 2025. At every site on this list, emissions were detected at least three times over the course of the year, and emissions were stubborn: they were seen at least half the time that satellites observed the sites.
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J.D Environmental Law
Date: Friday, April 3, 2026
Time: 9:00am - 4:00pm
RSVP here: https://forms.gle/Cso4cXrgZmPaPGqu7
Affordability concerns are ubiquitous in conversations on environmental and climate policy issues. Policymakers and advocates are wrestling with the question of whether cornerstone environmental laws and regulations, including CEQA and NEPA, can be robustly enforced while still recognizing and addressing cost-of-living pressures.
The UCLA Emmett Institute's 2026 Spring symposium will focus on the interplay between affordability and environmental regulation, paying particular attention to recent developments in three areas: electricity generation and pricing, the transition away from fossil fuel extraction, and affordable housing. It will draw on state-level and national examples, including legislative actions in California on oil drilling and refining and a statewide freeze of building code updates, and on efforts across the country to manage growing electricity demand from data centers. Panelists will assess a range of reforms aimed at reducing costs and assess their compatibility with advancing environmental and environmental justice protections.
Speakers include: Robinson Meyer, Executive Editor of Heatmap News; William Boyd, Professor of Law at UCLA Law; Tina Andolina, Chief of Staff to California Senator Ben Allen; Allan Marks, Lecturer at UCLA Law; Katie Valenzuela, Policy Consultant at Everyday Impact Consulting and Katherine Valenzuela Consulting; Ryan Cummings, Chief of Staff of the Stanford Institute for Economic Policymaking; David Spence, Professor at the University of Texas School of Law; Shane Phillips, Housing Initiative Manager at the UCLA Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies; Liam Dillon, California Housing Reporter at Politico; Jen Ganata, Legal Department Co-Director at Communities for a Better Environment; Cara Horowitz, Executive Director, the UCLA Emmett Institute.
This day-long symposium at the UCLA School of Law is free and open to the public. It kicks off with a keynote address followed by the three panel discussions and a reception to continue the conversation.
Panels include: Growing the Grid Without Breaking the Bank
Affordability and the Transition Away from Fossil Fuels
Housing Affordability and Environmental Protection
These Indigenous lawyers have led historic legal victories, including ICJ and ITLOS climate advisory opinions, where the highest courts ruled that nation-states must prevent climate harm, protect human rights, and act urgently to cut emissions.
Learn about the unique intersection of international, human rights, and environmental law that Indigenous people must navigate. Hosted by UCLA Law student and member of the Environmental Law Society Gregory Loui, with The Promise Institute's Joe Berra and Native Nations Law and Policy Center's Lauren van Schilfgaarde moderating Q&A.
Co-sponsored by The Promise Institute for Human Rights, the Native Nations Law and Policy Center, the Emmett Institute, and the Environmental Law Society.
Lunch will be provided.
March 30th 12:15PM-1:15PM Room: 1347 (available through Zoom as well)
Register Now: https://forms.gle/5L1FXfPwCkv1SEqt6
Mariana Viviescas Maldonado LLM ’26 and María Paula Herrera Duque LLM ’26 first met as law school classmates at the Universidad Nacional de Colombia 11 years ago. “We started as classmates, became close friends, and then we started dating. We’ve been together ever since,” says Herrera Duque.
Join us for a conversation about an exciting environmental success story that too few Americans know in detail.
In “Smog and Sunshine,” UCLA Law professor and LA native Ann Carlson recounts the dramatic policy fights and the determined scientists, lawyers, and community members who worked alongside public officials to face off against major polluters and save their city. Like the book, this event will highlight the work of advocates, academics, regulators, and everyday people who refused to turn a blind eye to the toll dirty air was taking in Los Angeles and across Southern California. The conversation will also touch on lessons learned and how to channel them for the broader fight for clean air and to fight climate change.
In a time of unprecedented climate change and skepticism about government and science, Carlson’s book is an inspiring reminder of what concerned residents and all levels of government can achieve by working together.
Carlson is the Shirley Shapiro Professor of Environmental Law and Faculty Director of the Emmett Institute on Climate Change and the Environment.
“Smog and Sunshine: the Surprising Story of How Los Angeles Cleaned Up Its Air,” to be released on April 7, during LA Climate week. Pre-order available here.
Books will be availible for purchase before and during the event.
Thanks to our co-sponsors: the UCLA Institute of the Environment and Sustainability; the Laboratory for Environmental Narrative Strategies (LENS); and the David J. Epstein Program in Public Interest Law & Policy.
Though China was once viewed as a climate villain, the country now dominates the global supply chains of solar panels, batteries, and electric vehicles. Just this month, Chinese manufacturer BYD overtook Tesla as the world’s biggest maker of EVs. It’s the latest example of how China’s focus on clean technology is setting the pace for the rest of the world as the Trump administration hits the brakes.