Climate change is an existential, polarizing, and pressing challenge for society-at-large. Our faculty, which consistently rank among the top in the nation in environmental law, rise to this challenge with interdisciplinary and policy-relevant scholarship that addresses the legal, economic, and societal implications of climate change. Through programs, organizations, and uniquely designed publications, our students engage with the latest thought leadership on the subject, graduating with the knowledge and skills needed to make an impact in the private and public sectors.
In the face of government gridlock, the new field of private environmental governance has emerged. Private Environmental Governance (Concepts and Insights), co-authored by Vanderbilt Law Professor Michael P. Vandenbergh, Sarah E. Light of the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, and James Salzman of UC Santa Barbara and UCLA Law School, seeks to help students and practitioners learn about PEG's themes, features, and people.
In their recently published book, Beyond Politics: The Private Governance Response to Climate Change, Michael Vandenbergh and co-author Jonathan M. Gilligan, associate professor of earth and environmental science, make the case for how the private sector and businesses can fill the environmental gap. Vandenbergh and Gilligan point to numerous ways private-sector companies can benefit by taking environmentally friendly actions.
Paper by Vanderbilt EELU researchers highlights the growing significance of data-driven reports on regional, state, and local levels.
The Climate at Vanderbilt podcast reports on faculty, students, research, and programs at Vanderbilt University focused on climate change. Faculty at Vanderbilt conducting research on climate change come from a broad array of disciplines, including engineering, public health and medicine, earth sciences, religious studies, law, biological sciences, history, business, and anthropology. Vanderbilt also offers an innovative undergraduate major in climate studies. Listen to this podcast to learn more about how Vanderbilt is working on the challenges of climate change mitigation and adaptation.
The Private Climate Governance Lab (PCG) focuses on private sector climate mitigation and adaptation. Through scholarship, education, and cross-sectoral collaboration, the Lab provides feasible solutions and valuable resources.
The Climate Change Research Network includes a team conducting theoretical and applied research on one of the most important and most widely overlooked sources of greenhouse gases: individual and household behavior.
The Regulatory Transparency Project’s newest short film, The SEC Disclosure Divide: The Cost of Compliance, features insights from legal scholars, policy experts, and industry leaders, including Vanderbilt Law Environmental expert Michael Vandenbergh.