Environmental Law and Sustainability Center faculty are at the forefront of important environmental legal issues of our times, helping to shape policy and the law through scholarship and advocacy. Unique areas of Center impact include:

Environmental Law – Center faculty have played key roles in helping to shape environmental law in scholarship, government, and the courts. John Dernbach served as policy director in the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection. In the courts, John Dernbach co-authored an amicus brief on behalf of 18 climate scientists in the Unites States Supreme Court’s consideration of Massachusetts v. EPA.

Sustainability – John Dernbach wrote Stumbling Towards Sustainability (2002) and edited Agenda for a Sustainable America (2009), the leading books analyzing the increasingly important issue of how to make sustainability a reality in America. The books complement his more than 20 articles and book chapters on the topic, making him an influential expert on the topic. Indeed, Sustainability will be the focus of the Center.

Climate Change and Energy – John Dernbach has written numerous articles on climate change issues.  Donald Brown has worked in government at the state, federal, and international level on climate change and taught the ethics, law, science, and politics of climate change for over 25 years.