Apr 10, 2024
Mónika and Jessica interview Professor Michael Gerrard, founder and director of the Sabin Center for Climate Change Law at Columbia Law School. We discuss issues such as building codes and FEMA flood maps, government regulations that could be used to improve resiliency in the built environment but only if communities use the latest versions of these regulations, which are beginning to incorporate future climate modeling--not just historical climate date. We also discuss potential liability for parties to a construction project, particularly design professionals. And we come back to one of our favorite topics--extreme heat.
Resources and stories discussed include:
Sabin Center for Climate Change Law: Sabin Center for Climate Change Law (columbia.edu)
Legal pathways for deep decarbonization: https://lpdd.org/
FEMA's BRIC program: https://www.fema.gov/grants/mitigation/building-resilient-infrastructure-communities
Renewable energy legal defense initiative: https://climate.law.columbia.edu/content/renewable-energy-legal-defense-initiative
Skanska's Hurricane Sally lawsuit: https://www.enr.com/articles/53351-skanska-found-negligent-for-damages-from-breakaway-barges
Texas's efforts to ban protecting workers from extreme heat: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/jun/23/greg-abbott-texas-governor-bill-water-breaks-heatwave
Arizona renter's right to air conditioning: https://landlordtenantresource.com/arizona-renters-rights-air-conditioning/#google_vignette