By Kristen Natividad
While researchers have studied the global warming trend for years, there is still much progress to be made, said USC Law Adjunct Professor Bryant Danner during a law school presentation sponsored by the Environmental Law Society on Oct. 17.
Danner, who teaches a course on global warming, said that in 10 years the issue will take up much more space in environmental law textbooks than it does currently.
“Last June, the governor announced that the scientific debate over global warming is over,” Danner said. “There is a consensus that the earth is warming, and it’s happening more rapidly than before, but that’s as far as the consensus goes.”
USC Law students especially should take note of global warming because it is relevant to the field of law in many ways, Danner said, namely because actions taken to slow global warming involve federal legislation and litigation.
“Lately, there has been pressure put on organizations like the Environmental Protection Agency to regulate emissions of carbon dioxide under existing statutes,” he said.
Danner also noted: “There are potential international agreements to grapple with this, since it is an international issue. Or, if we do something, the world may follow.”
Despite law-related actions taken, Danner said global warming remains a problem that must be addressed on a larger scale.
“It’s a motivational issue, an economic issue, a technological issue — more than it is a legal issue,” he said. “We must take humongous steps on all fronts to remedy the problem.”
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