SPP Hosts Panel on Climate Change & Government Finance

Join the School of Public Policy for a panel discussion on "The Unexpected Consequences of Climate Change on Government Finance," on Tuesday, February 27, 2018, from 12-1:30 PM in the Executive Dining Room on the Drescher Graduate Campus.

Late last year, seven California jurisdictions (now eight) 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 these 17 fossil fuel companies for the near-certain harm their communities face in the future. At the same time, however, none of the local governments disclosed the complete opposite risk in the municipal bond offerings. In fact, 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, moderated by Dr. Micheal Shires, is designed to focus less on the various climate change policies needed to reduce and curb greenhouse gas emissions, and more on the impact these potential lawsuits have on municipal bonds and the potential risks to taxpayers in the near-term.

Panelists:
Anthony T. Caso
Professor, Clinical Faculty
Dale E. Fowler School of Law, Chapman University

Marc Joffe
The Reason Foundation

Francis Menton
Law Office of Francis Menton

Moderator:

Michael Shires
Associate Dean for Strategy and Special Projects Director of Assessment and Associate Professor of Public Policy
Pepperdine University

Lunch will be provided for registered attendees. To register, click here.