Mid 2025
Climate Technology and Law in the Anthropocene
As climate change accelerates, our window for action is closing. To stay within the “Anthropocene” – an epoch in which humankind as the dominant force shaping the planet retains a degree of control over the destructive processes it has unleashed – global warming must be kept below 2° Celsius.
This book explores the unprecedented technological and legal changes required to achieve this. Featuring contributions from leading experts, the essays examine the intersection of technology, law, and environmental values, offering diverse viewpoints on navigating the Anthropocene.
Revealing the controversies of rapid technological adoption and legal reform, this is a crucial analysis of a complex future whose many dangers for our society are barely understood.
Contents:1. Introduction – Alexander Zahar and Leonie Reins2. Legal Principles and Rules on the Regulation of Climate Technologies: Do They Exist? – Marion Lemoine-Schonne3. Using Nature As Technology Versus Nurturing Nature: Ecosystem Services and Biodiversity Conservation – Felicity Deane and Justine Bell-James4. A Radical Law Reform for Critical Raw Materials? The Case of Wind and Solar Pv – Seita Romppanen5. Harnessing More Rivers for Renewable Energy and Irrigation – Alexander Zahar6. Are Renewable Energy Technologies Compatible With Rewilding? Migratory Species, Local Ecosystems, and the Controversies About Dams and Wind Turbines – Phillip Paiement and Floor Fleurke7. Between Scylla and Charybdis? Beccs, Climate Mitigation, and the Threat of Environmental and Social Harm – Emily Webster8. Law of the Sea Vis-à-Vis Ocean-Based Technological Solutions, and Risks Arising From Technology in the Context of Knowledge Gaps About the Ocean/the Deep Seas – Bjørn-Oliver Magsig9. Whither Law and Regulation on Carbon Capture, Utilization, and Storage? – Hao Zhang10. What Are the Right Knowledge Practices for Carbon Capture and Storage? – Bettina Lange11. Is Environmentalist Opposition to Nuclear Power Misguided? – Kaisa Huhta12. Hydrogen: What Does Its Deployment at Speed and Scale Mean for Legal Systems? – Ruven Fleming13. Gene Editing: Solution for Food Security and Energy-Crop Production or Pandora’s Box? – Mirta Alessandrini and Josephine Van Zeben14. Cultured Meat: The Impact of a Game-Changing Technology on Law and Our Planet – Jonathan Verschuuren15. Case for Srm to Be Fully Researched and Raised to a State of Deployment Readiness as an Important Technology of Climate Control – Kerryn Brent, Jan McDonald, and Jeffrey McGee16. Using the Law to Encourage Experimentation and Innovation in Climate Technology – Gareth Davies17. Ban on Coal: Case for and Against Restrictions on Coal Production, Sale, and Use – Daria Shapovalova18. Should a Government Be Liable to Compensate the Owner of a Carbon-Intensive Industry That Is Required to Cease Operating Before the End of Its Expected Operational Life? – Ignacio Herrera-Anchustegui and Gunnar Eskeland19. A Just Energy Transition: The Usefulness, and Limits, of the Concept of Energy Justice From a Legal Perspective – Laura Kaschny20. Debates Over Intellectual Property and Climate Change, in a Geopolitical Context – Matthew Rimmer21. Is the Trips Debate a Distraction? – Felicity Deane22. The Interface of Climate-Related Technologies and International Trade Law: Tensions and Opportunities – Kateryna Holzer and Yulia Yamineva23. Debating the International Climate Regime’s Technology Architecture – Leonie Reins and Alberto Quintavalla24. Reimagining Technology Transfer Beyond Development – Morag Goodwin25. Conclusion – Alexander Zahar and Leonie Reins
