Climate Change
Overview
Natural processes and man-made changes to the environment has caused significant changes to the earth’s atmosphere due to an increased concentration of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases. Because greenhouse gas emissions are linked to almost every industry, including agriculture, manufacturing and transportation, they must be considered when looking at the future of all these industries. Agriculture and forestry are somewhat unique in their ability to both produce and reduce greenhouse gases. According to the EPA, agriculture in the United States accounts for 9% of the nation’s total greenhouse gas emissions. The biological processes inherent in agriculture production, however, have the potential to allow agriculture to offset vastly more emissions than it produces. Read the full overview.
Note: Recently added resources are posted at the top of the applicable sections.
Major Statutes
New legislation will be added to this section as it becomes law.
Conservation Stewardship Program, 7 CFR Part 1470
Toxic Substance Control Act, 15 U.S.C. 2601-2697
National Forest Management Act of 1976, 16 U.S.C. §§ 1600-1687
Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act, 30 U.S.C. §§ 1201-1328
Ocean Dumping Act, 33 U.S.C. §§ 1401-1445
Federal Air Pollution and Control Act (Clean Air Act), 42 U.S.C. §§ 7401-7675
Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, 42 U.S.C. §§ 6901-6992k
National Energy Policy Act of 2005, 42 U.S.C. §§ 15801-16539
Federal Land Policy and Management Act, 43 U.S.C. 1701-1787
Regulations
Air Programs Regulations, 40 C.F.R. pts. 50-98
Water Programs Regulations, 40 C.F.R. pts. 100-149
Solid Waste Regulations, 40 C.F.R. pts. 239-282
Superfund, Emergency Planning, and Community Right-to-Know Programs, 40 C.F.R. 300-374
Energy Policy Regulations, 40 C.F.R. pts. 600-610
Air Pollution Controls Regulations, 40 C.F.R. pts. 1027-1090
Case Law
Case Law Index for Climate Change
Climate Litigation Database (Sabin Center for Climate Change Law)
Administrative Law Decisions
EPA Office of Administrative Law Judges
Environmental Appeals Board
USDA Office of Administrative Law Judges
USDA National Appeals Division
USDA Judicial Officer’s Decisions
Center Research Publications
Environmental Justice State Compilation (Rollins & Shehan, 2022)
Dealing with the USDA: Federal Administrative Law Basics (Kelley)
Managing Carbon in a World Economy: The Role of American Agriculture (Garry)
Ag & Food Law Update blog topics:
Congressional Research Service Reports
Reports– published and made available by CRS beginning in 2017
Subjects- published by CRS and made available by NALC until 2018:
Climate Change
Energy
Environmental Issues
Agricultural Law Bibliography
Introduction | Keyword Search | Browse Categories
Legal publications on Climate Change:
Environmental Issues
Energy Issues
Land Use Regulation
Reference Resources
Agricultural Research Service (ARS)
Global Change National Program 204 FY2006 Annual Report
Mitigation of Climatic Change
Climate Change, Carbon Dioxide, and Pest Biology, Managing the Future: Coffee as a Case Study
Global Climate Change: What Can Farmers Expect?
USDA Research on Climate Change, Effects of Warmer Winters Published in PLOS ONE
Optimizing Agricultural Management to Mitigate Climate Change Impacts
Climate Change Impacts on Wind and Water Erosion on US Rangelands
ARS Research Labs Studying Climate Change:
U.S. Arid Land Agricultural Research Center
Soil and Water Conservation Research
Southern Regional Research Center
Southern Regional Research Center: Food and Feed Safety Research
National Sedimentation Laboratory
Plant Science Research
Beltsville Agricultural Research Center: Hydrology and Remote Sensing Laboratory
Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
Economic Research Service (ERS)
Publications:
Potential Budgetary Impacts of Climate Change on the Pasture, Rangeland, and Forage Insurance Plan (Turner, et al., 2024)
The Effect of Climate Change on Herbaceous Biomass and Implications for Global Cattle Production (Vaiknoras, et al., 2024)
Climate-Induced Yield Changes and TFP: How Much R&D is Necessary to Maintain the Food Supply? (Beckman, et al., 2024)
The Stocking Impact and Financial-Climate Risk of the Livestock Forage Disaster Program (Hrozencik, Perez-Quesada & Bocinsky, 2024)
Estimating Market Implications from Corn and Soybean Yields Under Climate Change in the United States (Beckman, Ivanic & Nava, 2023)
Precision Agriculture in the Digital Era: Recent Adoption on U.S. Farms (McFadden, Njuki & Griffin, 2023)
Trends in U.S. Irrigated Agriculture: Increasing Resilience Under Water Supply Scarcity (Hrozencik & Aillery, 2021)
Resource Requirements of Food Demand in the United States (Canning et al., 2020)
Climate Change and Agricultural Risk Management Into the 21st Century (Crane-Droesch et al., 2019)
Development, Adoption, and Management of Drought-Tolerant Corn in the United States (McFadden, Smith, Wechsler & Wallander, 2019)
Climate Change Likely to Have Uneven Impacts on Agricultural Productivity (Wang, Nehring & Williams, 2019)
Climate Change Projected to Increase Cost of the Federal Crop Insurance Program due to Greater Insured Value and Yield Variability (Crane-Droesch, Marshall, Rosch & Wallander, 2019)
Tillage Intensity and Conservation Cropping in the United States (Claassen, Bowman, McFadden, Smith & Wallander, 2018)
Dedicated Energy Crops and Competition for Agricultural Land (Sands et al., 2017)
Trends in U.S. Agriculture’s Consumption and Production of Energy: Renewable Power, Shale Energy, and Cellulosic Biomass (Hitaj & Suttles, 2016)
Climate Change, Water Scarcity, and Adaptation in the U.S. Fieldcrop Sector (Marshall, et. al., 2015)
Using Crop Genetic Resources to Help Agriculture Adapt to Climate Change: Economics and Policy (Heisey & Rubenstien, 2015)
Climate Change, Heat Stress, and U.S. Dairy Production (Key, Sneering & Marquardt, 2014)
Agricultural Adaptation to a Changing Climate: Economic and Environmental Implications Vary by U.S. Region (Malcolm, Marshall, Aillery, Heisey, Livingston, Rubenstein, 2012)
Climate Change Policy and the Adoption of Methane Digesters on Livestock Operations (Key & Sneeringer, 2011)
The Role of Agriculture in Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions (USDA Economic Research Service, 2010)
Environmental Credit Trading: Can Farming Benefit? (Ribaudo, et. al., 2006)
Is Carbon Sequestration in Agriculture Economically Feasible? (Lewandrowski & Jones, Amber Waves, 2006)
Economics of Sequestering Carbon in the U.S. Agricultural Sector (Lewandowski et al., 2004)
Climate Change and Food Security (Roy Darwin, 2001)
Department of Energy (DOE)
Climate Change
Climate Change and the Electricity Sector: Guide for Climate Change Resilience Planning: September 2016
DOE Manual Studies Terrestrial Carbon Sequestration
Carbon Storage Research Program
Hydropower Climate Change Assessment
National Energy Technology Lab (NETL)
Carbon Storage Frequently Asked Questions
Point Source Carbon Capture
Carbon Storage Atlas
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Climate Change
Agriculture and Climate
Climate Change Research
Understanding Global Warming Potentials
2024-2027 Climate Adaptation Plan
Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Removals
Inventory of U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks
Farm Service Agency (FSA)
Conservation Reserve Program: Estimating Water Quality, Air Quality, and Soil Carbon Benefits of the CRP
Ecosystem Services Derived from Wetland Conservation Practices in the United States Prairie Pothole Region
USDA’s Building Blocks for Climate Smart Agriculture & Forestry – Fact Sheet
Conservation Programs
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS)
Climate Change
Climate Change Adaptation
Climate Change Mitigation
Climate Change Impacts
U.S. Forest Service (USFS)
Climate Change
Sustainability and Climate
Climate Change Resource Center
U.S. Department of Agriculture- Climate Hubs
Climate Solutions
Land Conservation
USDA’s 2021 Action Plan for Climate Adaptation and Resilience
USDA’s Climate Adaptation Plan 2024-2027
National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA)
Climate
Climate Change: Adaptation, Mitigation, Resilience
Office of the Chief Economist (OCE)
Climate Change
Climate Change Adaptation
Climate Science and Effects
Greenhouse Gas Inventory and Assessment Program
Climate Change Across USDA
Carbon
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
Climate
Climate Program Office
Climate change impacts
Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS)
Climate
COMET-Farm: Voluntary Reporting Carbon Management Tool
National Water and Climate Center
NRCS Climate-Smart Mitigation Activities
Congressional Resources
Congressional Budget Office: Climate Change
The Economic Effects of Legislation to Reduce Greenhouse-Gas Emissions (CBO, 2009)
The Use of Offsets to Reduce Greenhouse Gases (CBO, 2009)
Reports on Climate Change (Government Accountability Office)
Climate Change Trade Measures: Considerations for U.S. Policy Makers (GAO-09-724R, 2009)
Climate Change Trade Measures: Estimating Industry Effects (GAO-09-875T, 2009)
Other Federal Resources
Climate Change (National Agricultural Library)
U.S. Carbon Cycle Science Program
Ecosystems Land Change Science Program (U.S. Geological Survey)
Carbon Sequestration to Mitigate Climate Change (U.S. Geological Survey)
Full Report: National Climate Assessment
International Resources
United Nations Environmental Programme – Climate Action
The Rio Declaration on Environment and Development
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
World Bank: Climate Change
European Environmental Agency
Agriculture and Climate Change (European Environment Agency)
The Paris Agreement (United Nations)
Regional Partnerships
Big Sky Carbon Sequestration Partnership
Midwest Regional Carbon Initiative
Plains CO2 Reduction Partnership
Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative
Southeast Regional Carbon Sequestration Partnership
Southwest Partnership
West Coast Regional Carbon Sequestration Partnership
Additional Resources
The Ag & Food Law Update (National Agricultural Law Center)
Sabin Center for Climate Change Law (Columbia Law School)
Center for Climate & Energy Solutions
Georgetown Climate Center
Yale Program on Climate Change Communication
National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition
Food and Agriculture Climate Alliance
Climate Law Blog (Columbia Law School)
Publications
Removing Methane via Soil Amendments: The Legal Framework (Silverman-Roati & Webb, 2024)
Legal Considerations for Atmospheric Methane Removal (Silverman-Roati & Webb, 2024)
Agri-environmental Programs in the United States and Canada (Baylis et al., 2022)
Agriculture and Climate Change: Law and Governance in Support of Climate Smart Agriculture and International Climate Change Goals (FAO, 2020)
Climate Change and the Convergence of Environmental and Energy Law (Klass, 2017)
Carbon Sequestration Potential on Agricultural Lands: A Review of Current Science and Available Practices (Kane, 2015)
Climate Change and Agriculture in the United States: Effects and Adaptations (USDA, 2012)
Global Climate Change Impacts in the United States (U.S. Global Change Research Program, 2010)
The Effects of Climate Change on U.S. Ecosystems (Hauser et. al., 2009)
ABCs of Carbon Markets (Dickinson, Mackaman, Tyler and Hagan PC, 2009)
Climate Change: Impact on Agriculture and Costs of Adaptation (International Food Policy Research Institute, 2009)
Climate Change: Implications for Food Safety (FAO, 2008)
Understanding and Responding to Climate Change: Highlights of the National Academies Reports (National Academy of Sciences, 2005)
Carbon Sequestration Policy and Global Warming: A Legal Analysis (Thorson & Spencer, 2001)