Home Task Force on Global Warming Home

Welcome to the Task Force on Global Warming

This task force will address climate change and educate citizens and public officials on ways to reduce its impact

The Task Force on Global Warming was created by Association President Bernice K. Leber (Arent Fox LLP) to address one of her key presidential initiatives:the profound impact climate change is having on our natural environment and ecosystems. The task force will identify specific areas of legal reform needed to combat global warming, with an eye toward educating policy-makers and the broader public about its far-reaching effects.

“From the air we breathe to the water we drink, climate change has had a dramatic impact on our quality of life as well as the quality of our environment,” said Leber. “This task force harnesses the knowledge of climate studies and environmental science professionals with the goal of advancing comprehensive proposals to preserve and protect our vital natural resources in a manner that encourages conservation while keeping New York economically competitive for future generations.”

The task force will review New York State statutes and regulations, taking into account the existing and pending federal laws and local initiatives, in order to address the current global warming crisis. Through its systematic analyses, the task force also will provide additional opportunities to better inform legislators, the legal profession and citizens about climate change issues.

Read the news release announcing creation of the Task Force on Global Warming.

Task Force on Global Warming Report

Taking Action in New York on Climate Change (January 2009)
The Task Force on Global Warming Report was adopted by the House of Delegates of the New York State Bar Association at its meeting on April 4, 2009.
Click to view/download a copy of the Task Force's Report (pdf.).

Mission Statement:

As world leaders have noted, since the start of the industrial revolution more than 200 years ago, developed nations have achieved even greater prosperity and higher standards of living. But through this period our activities have come to affect our atmosphere, oceans, geology, chemistry and biodiversity. As technology has advanced, so does the risk that emission of greenhouse gases, associated with industrialization and strong economic growth from a world population that has increased six-fold in 200 years, is causing global warming at a rate that began as significant, and has become alarming and unsustainable in the long-term. In 1994, the Environmental Law Section reported about the steps that New York State and its citizens should take to address climate change. In 1998, the Section updated its Report and again issued a call to action. Now, ten years later, we are facing a even deepening global climate threat. A specific, detailed priority list of legal issues and solutions that put into place the mix of legal requirements and economic incentives is needed for our government to address so that there will be no excuses for not acting promptly.

The Task Force is charged with identifying specific, discrete areas of legal reforms that are necessary in order to address global warming. The Task Force shall review the New York State statutes and regulations in these areas with due regard for the existing and pending federal laws and local initiatives. The Report shall also address what is happening at the local level. It shall propose procedural and substantive changes, where necessary. The Task Force shall provide opportunities to educate legislators, the profession and the public on global warming -- with the aim of ensuring that our laws, policies and practices are designed in a constructive manner to reduce profound climate changes. In addition, the Task Force shall review and update the Reports with a view toward harmonizing the efforts being made on both a state and national level and prioritize these efforts.

The Task Force shall prepare a report which covers the current state of the law and shall recommend any appropriate reforms, both by statute, policy and practice, to the Executive Committee and the House of Delegates.