Executive Summary -
During the recent United Nations Climate Change Conference of the Parties, or "COP26," the United States' "whole-of-government" approach to climate change was on full display, with the Biden-Harris...more
Reflecting back on the 26th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), or “COP26,” it may well become known as the “Pledge and Commitment COP.” Governments,...more
As the delegates of the 26th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) (COP26) return from two hard weeks in Glasgow, significant progress has been made on establishing...more
11/18/2021
/ Aviation Industry ,
Climate Change ,
Emissions Trading System ,
Energy Sector ,
Environmental Policies ,
EU ,
European Commission ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
Maritime Transport ,
Paris Agreement ,
Transportation Industry ,
UK ,
UNFCCC
The Office of Climate Change and Health Equity -
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) recently established the Office of Climate Change and Health Equity (OCCHE), reinforcing the Biden-Harris administration’s...more
Today during Transport Day at COP26, we highlight some of the key events taking place in Glasgow across the broad reaches of the transportation sector to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and implement more sustainable...more
[co-author: Christina Barone]
The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (the “bill”) is historic bipartisan legislation that will make available $1.2 trillion in funding for infrastructure programs across the...more
As we previewed before the 26th meeting of the Conference of the Parties of the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP26, or the “Conference”), ongoing international discussions have produced notable initiatives to...more
11/8/2021
/ Agricultural Sector ,
Banking Sector ,
Biodiversity ,
Climate Change ,
COP ,
Energy Sector ,
Environmental Policies ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
Financial Institutions ,
Supply Chain ,
United Nations
Yesterday, we highlighted some of the developments on coal at the 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26), including issuance of a “Global Coal to Clean Power Transition Statement” committing to...more
On Monday morning, as world leaders arrived in Glasgow for the first day of the 26th Conference of the Parties, the Biden-Harris administration announced a series of new actions to address the climate crisis at home and...more
This U.N. Climate Summit is the most anticipated since Paris six years ago. The private sector is playing a heightened role in driving the momentum for shaping the agenda and likely outcomes. Once again, lasting impact is...more
As the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) in Glasgow approaches, many countries are turning their sights on methane emission reductions as a major prong of their international climate commitments. Over the...more
Yesterday evening, President Biden signed Congress’s resolution to use the Congressional Review Act (CRA) to reject a September 2020 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rule that rescinded methane emission standards...more
Friday, April 23, 2021, marked the conclusion of President Biden’s Leaders Summit on Climate. In this post, we note five key takeaways. In the weeks to follow, Akin Gump will publish in-depth analyses on several of these...more
President Biden’s Leaders Summit on Climate has wrapped up. The event saw world leaders highlighting their countries’ respective climate commitments, calling for collective action, and attending breakout sessions designed to...more
Key Points
- On Earth Day, the Biden-Harris administration announced a new target for the United States to achieve a 50 to 52 percent reduction in economy-wide GHG emissions by 2030, which constitutes the country’s new NDC...more
5/3/2021
/ Biden Administration ,
Clean Power Plan ,
Climate Change ,
Electricity ,
Environmental Policies ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDC) ,
NHTSA ,
Paris Agreement ,
Zero-Emission Vehicles
Late last week, newly confirmed Department of the Interior (DOI) Secretary Deb Haaland took two major steps to advance the Biden-Harris administration’s climate priorities and accelerate the shift to a clean energy future....more
On Earth Day, April 22, President Biden will launch a two-day Leaders Summit on Climate, a key lead-up meeting to this November’s United Nations climate talks in Glasgow. The President invited over 40 world leaders to the...more
In March, House Democrats re-introduced the Climate Leadership and Environmental Action for Our Nation’s (CLEAN) Future Act, a comprehensive climate package that aims to transition virtually every major sector of the U.S....more
Key Points
- On Wednesday, March 10, 2021, the U.S. Senate confirmed Michael Regan as the next EPA Administrator.
- Although Regan and most of the Biden-Harris administration’s other high-level EPA officials have fairly...more
During yesterday’s Senate Environment and Public Works Committee hearing, President Biden’s nominees for Chair of the White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ), Brenda Mallory, and for Deputy Administrator the...more
3/9/2021
/ Biden Administration ,
Clean Air Act ,
Climate Change ,
Energy Sector ,
Environmental Justice ,
Environmental Policies ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Executive Orders ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
Legislative Agendas ,
NEPA ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Working Groups
The Biden administration’s Interagency Working Group on the Social Cost of Greenhouse Gases (the “Working Group”) took its first step to update the costs to society from carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide pollution....more
Many investors and other stakeholders have long sought universal requirements for public companies to disclose the social and climate impacts of their operations. If recent developments at the United States Securities and...more
The Biden administration has continued its efforts to reverse the previous administration’s approach to climate change, this time relating to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), which requires reviews of large...more
Late last week, the Justice Department withdrew nine Trump-era policy and guidance documents that shaped how the Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division (ENRD) enforced environmental law during the past...more
A number of President Biden’s early climate and environmental policies direct federal funding, research and procurement decisions toward infrastructure. In this installment of our series on President Biden’s “Climate Day”...more