From the Blog
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Public Natural Resources, Common Property, and the Public Trust Doctrine
I have a new article addressing an important question of Pennsylvania constitutional public trust law that is also central to understanding the public trust doctrine and the role it plays and can continue to play in other states and countries to address pressing environmental challenges…
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Future Forward: How Lawyers Can Embrace Sustainability
The April/May 2025 issue of the American Bar Association (ABA) Journal contains the best single article I’ve seen thus far on what lawyers can do to advance sustainability and address climate change. The ABA has kindly granted me permission to reproduce that article below. …
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ABA Encourages Lawyers to Incorporate Sustainable Development into Law Practice
On August 5, 2024, the American Bar Association’s (ABA’s) House of Delegates (HOD) overwhelmingly approved Resolution 513, which reaffirms its longstanding support for sustainable development and emphasizes the importance of incorporating sustainability into the practice of law. This resolution is the fourth resolution focused on sustainable development that the HOD has adopted since 1991. The…
Who is John Dernbach?
John C. Dernbach is a Commonwealth Professor of Environmental Law and Sustainability at Widener University, Commonwealth Law School in Harrisburg Pennsylvania, and director of its Environmental Law and Sustainability Center. He writes extensively on climate change and sustainable development. Read on