by Prof. John Wargo

This graduate course examines globally significant environmental risks transcending national boundaries.  Problems considered include carbon emissions, air pollution, drinking water, food safety, land use conflicts, biotechnology, and tropical forest loss.  In each case we explore risks of environmental and health damages, as well as the potential effectiveness of diverse forms of regulation.  These include prohibitions, contamination ceilings, disclosure requirements, monitoring & enforcement, tariffs, taxation, subsidies, pollution offsets and trading rights, intellectual property rights, burden to prove safety or excessive risk.   

We also examine voluntary corporate management programs including investments in carbon and chemical use reductions; evolving ESG metrics; transparency initiatives among the largest food companies (Nestle, Pepsico); private sector certification programs in food production (RSPO), textiles (GOTS, OEKO-TEX), and building materials (LEED); efforts to reduce single-use plastics and increase use of recycled materials (UNILEVER); design of less risky pesticides (DOW Green Bond); drone surveillance in agriculture to monitor strategic application of fertilizers, pesticides and irrigation to problem areas; IKEA’s and Oreal’s voluntary efforts to eliminate toxic ingredients from their product lines; incentives to encourage restoration and reuse of hazardous sites, restoring lost land value. 

Learning Objectives:  You will learn to judge the effectiveness of diverse environmental laws to reduce or eliminate risks to the environment and health.  You will also learn the potential of private sector and public-private partnerships to voluntarily reduce environmental and health threats.  You will learn the vulnerabilities of national environmental laws, and the fragility of international environmental agreements given their often-limited adoption by major economic powers, and their restricted ability to enforce treaty requirements.