The Center for Law, Environment, Adaptation and Resources (CLEAR) was launched in September by the University of North Carolina School of Law.
The center is dedicated to the study of environmental law with a focus on understanding the laws and policies relating to climate change adaptation, and will be directed by Victor B. Flatt, Thomas F. and Elizabeth Taft Distinguished Professor in Environmental Law.
“Environmental law is changing rapidly,” said Flatt, whose scholarship has focused on the intersection between environmental regulation and environmental law in action. “This center will look at the legal implications of traditional environmental problems like clean air and water as well as climate change and how these concerns interact with everyday life.”
The range of expertise among the faculty involved in the center speaks to the broad implications for environmental law. Flatt plans to explore connections with intellectual property law, private property law, insurance, banking and development, among others.
Flatt said the goals for the center include providing additional educational opportunities for students in environmental law, addressing some of the important environmental problems of the state, nation and the world and serving as an educational resource for the North Carolina legal and business communities.
The center will have a specific focus on climate change adaptation, which includes understanding the changing circumstances that result from environmental disruption. The center will host an annual conference for experts and students from around the country to focus on climate change adaptation. Additionally, Flatt plans to invite experts in the field to teach month-long mini-courses at UNC.