Welcome to the fourteenth edition of P2N0 covering the drive to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions to net-zero (NZE). P2N0 identifies significant news items globally, reporting on them in short form, focusing on policy...more
The ACOEL webpage “About Us” states that we are to be “Advocates for environmental law and process for a better environmental future.” Allow me to throw down this gauntlet to Members: What “better environmental future” is the...more
Replace, Reduce and Remove. The 3Rs that constitute the three-pronged approach espoused by PUB, the national water agency of Singapore, in its hefty goal of achieving net zero emissions by 2045....more
Australia continues to be a highly active jurisdiction for climate-related lawsuits. Since our last update in August 2023, we have seen a steady stream of suits commenced against corporations and government bodies in relation...more
As the nation’s largest energy consumer, the U.S. federal government plans to curb greenhouse gas emissions across its expansive portfolio of more than 350,000 federal buildings. In a pioneering move, the Biden administration...more
The IRS and the Treasury Department issued proposed regulations on December 26, 2023 (Proposed Regulations), providing guidance on the clean hydrogen production tax credit under Section 45V (Hydrogen PTC) and the investment...more
Over a year ago, New York City Mayor Eric Adams announced the “City of Yes”, a plan to update the City’s zoning tools to support small businesses, create affordable housing, and promote sustainability. On December 6, 2023,...more
Two recent studies show that, by the end of 2023, United States carbon emissions will decrease, despite an expansion in the overall economy of about 2.5 percent. That is, according to the United States Energy Information...more
On September 5, 2023, the Corporate Leaders Group Europe (CLG Europe) published a position paper urging the European Union to cut its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by at least 90% by 2040, and asked EU member states to...more
Until now, however, no comprehensive estimate existed of the of that opportunity, (or, to put it another way, the size of the financing gap between committed spending and the investment needed to deliver Net Zero by 2050...more
At a global level, the decarbonization of the health care sector has been coordinated by the World Health Organization (WHO) COP26 Health Programme, launched at the COP26 climate summit in November 2021. Under this program,...more
On June 18, 2023 Swiss citizens voted in favor of a new climate law intended to promote carbon neutrality by 2050. The Federal Act on Climate Protection Targets, Innovation and Strengthening Energy Security, known as the...more
On June 26, 2023, the Cambridge City Council voted to amend the city’s Building Energy Use Disclosure Ordinance (BEUDO) to require large non-residential buildings to reach net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2035 and...more
In April 2023, the Centre for Climate Finance & Investment and the International Energy Agency issued a report identifying and addressing the investment gap in renewable and clean energy in the Association of Southeast Asian...more
The United Nations General Assembly, the UN’s primary policy-making body, has adopted a resolution requesting an advisory opinion from the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on the obligations of its 193 member states...more
The European Commission has launched a public consultation and a call for evidence seeking opinions on the EU’s intermediary climate targets for 2040. This is a scheduled step in the EU’s ambition to reach net-zero emissions...more
Consumers are increasingly seeking more sustainable products, making a company’s environmental, social and governance (ESG) practices part of their purchasing decisions. In the alcohol space, breweries, wineries and...more
In an ambitious step toward New York state’s climate goals, the New York State Climate Action Council approved a Scoping Plan on December 19, 2022, which sets forth a series of recommended policies and actions. The 445-page...more
Take my predictions with a grain of salt, because I still remember saying that Ronald Reagan would never fool enough voters to get elected, but it seems very likely at this point that Maura Healey will be the next Governor of...more
Continuing its leadership in the battle against climate change, California takes a big step forward by requiring transparency concerning the carbon footprints of the nation’s largest corporations doing business in the state. ...more
The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) is charged by statute with periodically preparing and implementing a Comprehensive Energy Strategy (CES). ...more
The Energy and Environment and Climate Change Subcommittees of the United States House of Representatives Committee on Energy and Commerce held a hearing on November 16th titled: Securing America’s Future: Supply Chain...more
This is the second in a series of Quarles & Brady client alerts concerning the approximately 1,000-page Illinois omnibus energy legislation commonly referred to as The Climate and Equitable Jobs Act (CEJA). ...more
Furthering the aims of Boston’s 2019 Climate Action Plan, which identified large buildings as major carbon emitters, Boston City Council amended the Building Energy Reporting and Disclosure Ordinance (BERDO) to require all...more
“Decarbonization” and “Electrification” are the buzzwords floating around Illinois following Governor Pritzker’s signing of the Climate and Equitable Jobs Act (the “Act”) on September 15, 2021. As the largest and most...more