School of Public Policy to Present Climate Change Discussion

Pepperdine School of Public Policy will host the panel discussion “The Unexpected Consequences of Climate Change on Government Finance” at Drescher Graduate Campus in Malibu on Tuesday, February 27, from noon to 1:30 PM.

Within the past several months, eight California jurisdictions have filed public nuisance climate lawsuits against five large integrated oil and gas companies, including California-based Chevron. In these lawsuits, the local governments blamed 17 fossil fuel companies for the near-certain harm their communities face in the future.

However, none of the local governments disclosed the complete opposite risk in the municipal bond offerings. In fact, according to a recent investor analyst review of the municipal bonds, the municipalities either denied they had the ability to predict any risk related to rising sea levels or climate change, and yet others omitted any mention of the risks they laid out in their public nuisance lawsuits.

This panel discussion is designed to focus less on the various climate change policies needed to reduce and curb greenhouse gas emissions, and more on the impact potential these lawsuits have on municipal bonds and the potential risks to taxpayers in the near-term.

Panelists will include:

• Marc Joffee, The Reason Foundation
• Anthony T. Caso, Professor, Clinical Faculty at Dale E. Fowler School of Law, Chapman University

For additional information about this event, and to register to attend, visit the School of Public Policy page on the Eventbrite website.