Rethinking Sustainability to Meet the Climate Change Challenge

16 Pages Posted: 16 Dec 2012 Last revised: 18 Aug 2014

See all articles by Michael Burger

Michael Burger

Columbia University - Sabin Center for Climate Change Law

Elizabeth Burleson

BurlesonInstitute.org; London School of Economics (LSE)

Rebecca M. Bratspies

City University of New York - School of Law

Robin Kundis Craig

USC Gould School of Law

Alexandra R. Harrington

Lancaster University Law School; Albany Law School; CISDL

Keith H. Hirokawa

Albany Law School

Sarah Krakoff

University of Colorado Law School

Katrina Fischer Kuh

Pace Law School

Stephen R. Miller

University of Idaho College of Law - Boise

Jessica Owley

University of Miami - School of Law

Patrick A. Parenteau

Vermont Law and Graduate School

Melissa Powers

Lewis & Clark Law School

Shannon Roesler

University of Iowa - College of Law

Jonathan D. Rosenbloom

Albany Law School

Date Written: December 14, 2012

Abstract

This article presents a preliminary effort to capture the dialogue at the Environmental Law Collaborative’s inaugural Workshop. Attendees engaged in the re-conceptualization of sustainability in the age of climate change, premised on evidence that climate change is forcing changes in the norms of political, social, economic, and technological standards. As climate change continues to dominate many fields of research, sustainability is at a critical moment that challenges its conceptual coherence. Sustainability has never been free from disputes over its meaning and has long struggled with the difficulties of simultaneously implementing the “triple-bottom line” components of environmental, economic, and social well-being. Climate change, however, suggests that the context for sustainable decision-making is shifting.

The event produced an intensive and collaborative conversation on how to assess sustainability in the age of climate change. The essays appearing here examine the process of adapting the principles and application of sustainability to the demands of climate change, including (but not limited to) framing the term “sustainability” in climate change discussions; coordinating sustainable practices across disciplines such as law, economics, ethics, and the hard sciences; and conceptualizing the role of sustainability in formulating adaptation and resiliency strategies. These essays also contemplate the role of law and legal systems in crafting effective climate change adaptation strategies and consider feasible strategies in the context of specific examples.

Keywords: sustainability, climate change, adaptation, resiliency

Suggested Citation

Burger, Michael and Burleson, Elizabeth and Bratspies, Rebecca M. and Craig, Robin Kundis and Harrington, Alexandra R. and Hirokawa, Keith H. and Krakoff, Sarah and Kuh, Katrina Fischer and Miller, Stephen R. and Owley, Jessica and Parenteau, Patrick A. and Powers, Melissa and Roesler, Shannon and Rosenbloom, Jonathan D., Rethinking Sustainability to Meet the Climate Change Challenge (December 14, 2012). 43 Environmental Law Reporter 10342-10357, SUNY Buffalo Legal Studies Research Paper No. 2013-023, Hofstra Univ. Legal Studies Research Paper No. 13-05, Lewis & Clark Law School Legal Studies Research Paper No. 2013-1, University of Utah College of Law Research Paper No. 22, Roger Williams Univ. Legal Studies Paper No. 153, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2189530

Michael Burger

Columbia University - Sabin Center for Climate Change Law ( email )

Jerome Greene Hall
435 West 116th Street
New York, NY 10027
United States

Elizabeth Burleson

BurlesonInstitute.org ( email )

London School of Economics (LSE) ( email )

Houghton Street
London, WC2A 2AE
United Kingdom

Rebecca M. Bratspies

City University of New York - School of Law ( email )

2 Court Square
Long Island City, NY 11101
United States

Robin Kundis Craig

USC Gould School of Law ( email )

699 Exposition Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90089
United States

Alexandra R. Harrington

Lancaster University Law School ( email )

Bowland North
Lancaster, LA 14 YN
United Kingdom

Albany Law School ( email )

80 New Scotland Avenue
Albany, NY 12208
United States

CISDL ( email )

Montreal, Quebec
Canada

Keith H. Hirokawa

Albany Law School ( email )

80 New Scotland Avenue
Albany, NY 12208
United States

Sarah Krakoff

University of Colorado Law School ( email )

401 UCB
Boulder, CO 80309
United States

Katrina Fischer Kuh

Pace Law School ( email )

78 North Broadway
White Plains, NY 10603
United States

Stephen R. Miller

University of Idaho College of Law - Boise ( email )

501 W. Front Street
Boise, ID 83702
United States
208-364-4559 (Phone)
208-344-2176 (Fax)

Jessica Owley (Contact Author)

University of Miami - School of Law ( email )

P.O. Box 248087
Coral Gables, FL 33146
United States

Patrick A. Parenteau

Vermont Law and Graduate School ( email )

68 North Windsor Street
P.O. Box 60
South Royalton, VT 05068
United States
802 831 1305 (Phone)
802 831 1158 (Fax)

HOME PAGE: http://www.vermontlaw.edu

Melissa Powers

Lewis & Clark Law School ( email )

10015 S.W. Terwilliger Blvd.
Portland, OR 97219
United States

Shannon Roesler

University of Iowa - College of Law ( email )

Melrose and Byington
Iowa City, IA 52242
United States

Jonathan D. Rosenbloom

Albany Law School ( email )

80 New Scotland Avenue
Albany, NY 12208
United States

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