The need for effective climate action is clear. However, progress is slow and the window of opportunity to avoid the worst impacts of climate change is closing. To address the opportunity from a legal perspective, Queen’s Law brought together legal scholars from Canada and the U.S. for a December 1-2 conference titled “Institutions for Effective Climate Action: An International & Comparative Perspective.”
The main objectives of this research exchange were threefold: to generate a better understanding of how legal institutions may be contributing to lagging climate action across a range of key policy areas; to develop strategies for ways legal institutions might be better leveraged to enhance climate action; and to create community and research connections.
Abstract:
Monika U. Ehrman
Equitable Energy Transition on Native American Lands
Energy development on Native American lands is often contested and controversial. The ability to generate revenue for tribal members or community infrastructure is accompanied by concerns over potential corresponding environmental and social harms. While some tribes have been eager to develop their fossil energy resources, others have adamantly opposed development. Even within tribes, there is often considerable disagreement. Overlaying these issues is the complicated relationship between the tribes and state and federal governments. For example, federal oversight often interferes with a tribe's ability to make decisions about its energy future. These limitations on self-government and sovereignty may affect the ability of Native American communities to take full advantage of an energy transition. This paper, part of a project funded by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, will examine select issues related to the clean energy transition on Native American lands, with a focus on sovereignty, energy poverty, and environmental justice concerns.
Sébastien Jodoin
The Distributive Implications of Climate Policies for People with Disabilities: A Case Study of the Intersections of Carbon Neutrality and Accessibility in Montreal
Sébastien Jodoin, Juliette Bourdeau de Fontenay, Rose Paquet & Chloe Rourke
Although 15% of the population identifies as living with a disability, little is known about the distributive implications of climate mitigation efforts for this segment of the population. Drawing on semi-structured interviews with people with disabilities, policy analysis, and quantitative data, we provide an in-depth case study of whether and how the pursuit of climate neutrality has affected different people with disabilities in the city of Montreal. We focus on the distributive effects of initiatives aimed at: (1) promoting collective, active, and electric forms of transportation; (2) decarbonizing the built environment; and (3) increasing green spaces. Our findings highlight challenges and opportunities for ensuring that climate policies enhance, rather than undermine, efforts to make societies more inclusive of people with disabilities. They also emphasize the important contributions that the agency and knowledge of people with disabilities can make in the transition to decarbonization and the multiple co-benefits that are associated with universally accessible climate initiatives.
