University of Sydney Law School declares climate emergency

Accepting the warnings delivered by climate scientists about the dangerous state of the earth's climate, the Board of The University of Sydney Law School has voted unanimously to declare a climate emergency.

The declaration highlights the important role that legal scholars and legal institutions have to play in addressing and adapting to the climate emergency.

The motion was moved by Professor Rosemary Lyster, Professor of Climate and Environmental Law and Co-Director of the Australian Centre for Climate and Environmental Law (ACCEL), and seconded by Professor Tim Stephens an Australian Research Council Future Fellow who has a particular research focus on international environmental law.

“In passing this motion, the members of Sydney Law School recognise that as legal academics we have a moral duty to stand up, speak out and express our concern, from a justice perspective, for all of the people, ecosystems and species across the world facing an existential threat,” Professor Lyster said.

Read the story from The University of Sydney - “University of Sydney Law School declares climate emergency.”

Resilient community votes unanimously to address climate induced sea level rise

Jason Evans of Stetson University studies a section
 of US Highway 80, the only access road to Tybee Island.

On Thursday, April 17, Tybee Island City Council voted unanimously to accept a plan addressing risks that the island faces from sea level rise over the next 50 years.

As a low-lying barrier island, Tybee Island is already vulnerable to frequent and widespread flooding. The beach community has experienced 10 inches of sea-level rise since 1935, according to a nearby National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) tide gauge at Fort Pulaski. Three of the top ten highest tides ever recorded by the tide gauge occurred in October 2015. Scientists worldwide expect this trend to accelerate in the future.

A major tourism hub of the Georgia coast, Tybee Island is a significant driver of the state’s coastal economy and the nearby city of Savannah. Whether through more frequent and widespread flooding or devastating destruction due to intensified storm surges, sea-level rise has the potential to dramatically affect the island’s economic, infrastructural and environmental health.

Read the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA) story -  “Community Resilience: Tybee Island creates Georgia’s first sea level rise plan.”