On December 5, LSEC hosted the leadership of the Cleantech & Climate Change Committee (CTC3) to explore the overlap of law and policy with today’s most pressing environmental issues. This fireside chat was moderated by LSEC’s Co-Chair David Husband and Vice Chair Julie Park. They were joined by Dr. Robert Brammer and Joshua Soloway, co-chairs of CTC3.
The conversation explored Brammer and Soloway’s unique paths into clean energy, AI’s impact on climate action, and the legal issues that arise in this field. Clean energy is growing, requiring more attention from lawyers with interdisciplinary skills across finance, data science, and law. The clean energy sector is increasingly impacted by regulations, tax incentives, and the growth of AI, all of which can affect the quality of climate data.
As someone with a background in mathematics and analytics, I appreciate how data can both affect and be affected by its governance. My hope in pursuing law school was to expand my perspective beyond merely data and into solutions that use contracts, policy, and other legal structures to create change. The view Brammer and Soloway provided into clean energy is just that, a balance of the technical and legal work. But this field is not exclusive to scientists. The overlap in environmental issues is bountiful with areas for intersectional development of young professionals of all backgrounds.
Later in the month, Brammer and CTC3 held a webinar titled, Analyzing U.S. Billion-Dollar Weather & Climate Disasters: The Latest Data & Tools Used in Weather and Climate Legal Proceedings, with Adam Smith of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). This talk highlighted the tools NOAA is using to monitor the U.S. climate, particularly the costs and risks associated with natural disasters and weather events. This discussion raised another crucial issue: accessing and leveraging high-quality data to make decisions. It is clear that data can improve environmental outcomes at every level, across government and private industry, from planning to recovery efforts.
As law students and young professionals enter the clean energy sector, they are afforded opportunities to solve some of the most pressing challenges the world faces through the legal profession. The CTC3 provides resources and support for student involvement. As students explore their interests and career options, CTC3 and the ABA offer free Section membership to law students to attend webinars, volunteer with committees, and network with professionals in areas like clean energy and many others that spark their interest. More fireside chats with SciTech’s substantive committees are planned in 2024. You can find them at ambar.org/explorescitech.
David Husband is co-chair of the Law Student Engagement Committee in ABA’s SciTech Section and works as a senior counsel for the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System. Caylan Fazio is a second-year law student at Cleveland State University College of Law. Her legal interests include space law, data privacy, and tax law.