Climate Law and Science
The Sabin Center’s Climate Law and Science and Law Initiative seeks to build understanding of how ongoing developments in climate science can help shape legal and policy responses to climate change. It also encompasses projects aimed at promoting the use of the best available science in climate law and policy, and defending climate science from political attacks. Much of this work is done in collaboration with climate scientists from Columbia University and around the world.
Featured Resources & Projects
Attribution science examines the causal links between human activities, global climate change, and impacts on human and natural systems, and plays a critical role in climate litigation as well as policy-making and regulatory decision-making.
Publications
Climate Science and Litigation, by Jessica Wentz, in Research Handbook on Climate Change Litigation, Francesco Sindico et al. eds. (Edgar Elgar 2024)
Climate Science and Law for Judges: Government Action and Climate Science, by Jessica Wentz, in Climate Science and Law for Judges (Climate Judiciary Project, Environmental Law Institute 2023)
- Climate Science and Human Rights: Using Attribution Science to Frame Government Mitigation and Adaptation Obligations, by Michael Burger, Jessica Wentz & Daniel Metzger, in Litigating the Climate Emergency: How Human Rights, Courts and Legal Mobilization Can Bolster Climate Change, César Rodríguez-Garavito ed. (November 2022)
Conference Report: Attribution Science and Climate Law, by Jessica Wentz (March 2025)
Climate Change and Human Health: A Synthesis of Scientific Research and State Obligations Under International Law, by Jessica Wentz, Sabin Center for Climate Change Law (May 2024)
Research Priorities for Climate Litigation, by Jessica Wentz, Delta Merner, Benjamin Franta, Alessandra Lehmen, and Peter C. Frumhoff, 11(1) Earth’s Future e2022EF002928 (December 2022)
Liability for Public Deception: Linking Fossil Fuel Disinformation and Climate Damages, by Jessica Wentz and Benjamin Franta, 52 Environmental Law Reporter 10995 (December 2022)
Climate Science in Adaptation Litigation in the U.S., by Jacob Elkin, Sabin Center for Climate Change Law (August 2022)
Climate Change Attribution Science and the Endangered Species Act, by Jessica Wentz, 39(2) Yale Journal on Regulation 1043 (2022)
Climate Science in Rights-Based Advocacy Contexts, by Michael Burger, Jessica Wentz, and Daniel Metzger, Open Global Rights (2020)
The Law and Science of Climate Change Attribution, by Michael Burger, Jessica Wentz, and Radley Horton, 45(1) Columbia Journal of Environmental Law 57 (2020)
Attribution Science and EPA’s Reconsideration of the GHG Endangerment Finding, by Jessica Wentz, Climate Law Blog (May 2025)
Climate Attribution and the Willow Project: Federal Obligations to Evaluate the Effects of Fossil Fuel Leasing on Endangered Species, by Jessica Wentz, Climate Law Blog (December 2023)
- Using Attribution Science to Evaluate the Effects of Oil and Gas Emissions on Endangered and Threatened Species, by Jessica Wentz, Climate Law Blog (June 2023)
Engagement
Amicus Brief in Support of Petitioners in Center for Biological Diversity v. Bureau of Land Management (Willow Oil and Gas Litigation), Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals (January 5, 2024)
Amicus Brief on Climate Science and Human Rights Obligations, Inter-American Court of Human Rights (November 2, 2023)
- Amicus Brief in Support of Plaintiffs in Center for Biological Diversity v. Bureau of Land Management (Willow Oil and Gas Litigation), U.S. District Court for the District of Alaska (July 26, 2023)
Sabin Center Comments on the Proposed Repeal of the GHG Endangerment Finding and Greenhouse Gas Vehicle Standards (September 19, 2025)
Sabin Center Comments on the Proposed Repeal of Greenhouse Gas Emissions Standards for Fossil Fuel-Fired Electric Generating Units (August 6, 2025)
Comments on the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy's Request for Information to Improve Scientific Integrity Policies (submitted July 28, 2021)
Events
Attribution Science and Climate Law, Columbia University (January 9 and 10, 2025)
Media
Despite Backlash, More States are Considering Laws to Make Big Oil Pay for Climate Change, Grist, May 19, 2025
Scientists Tally Oil Majors' Climate Damage with Eye to Legal Liability, Bloomberg, April 29, 2025
New Study Could Bolster Climate Laws to Make Polluters Pay, New York Times, April 23, 2025
We Know What’s Causing This Heat, New York Times, July 25, 2023
How Climate Change Drives Hotter, More Frequent Heat Waves, Grist, July 11, 2023
Montana Lawsuit Confronts States’ Responsibility for Climate Change, Brennan Center for Justice, May 22, 2023
Study: A third of the West’s burned forests can be traced to fossil fuel companies, Grist, May 16, 2023
We Didn’t’ Start the Fire (But We Know Who Did), This is Science Podcast with Jess Phoenix, May 2023
The Challenges and Promises of Climate Lawsuits, Knowable Magazine, May 11, 2023
Researchers just gave developing nations a scientific basis for legal action against US, China for climate damages, CNN.com, July 12, 2022
Nearly $2tn of damage inflicted on other countries by US emissions, The Guardian, July 12, 2022
Can a Law Protecting Endangered Animals Stop New Oil Drilling?, New York Times, June 15, 2022
Attribution Science Linking Warming to Disasters Is Rapidly Advancing, Scientific American (via E&E News), June 3, 2022
Real science?' Pinpointing warming's role in disasters, E&E News, June 2, 2022
Attribution Science: Exploring links between climate change, extreme weather, Premium Times, February 15, 2022
How Scientists Know That Climate Change Juices Heat Waves, Bloomberg Green, November 9, 2021