Reimagining the concept of air and the atmosphere as natural resources in law and policy

Speaker: Dr Jonathan Skinner-Thompson Associate Professor of Law, University of Colorado Boulder

Abstract: How we view air (especially clean air) has meaningful normative and practical implications. Today, it is commonly seen as an exhaustible natural resource. By treating air as a resource to be conserved, managed, and used, we developed new techniques for addressing air pollution—namely, ambient air quality standards (now considered the “pinnacle” of air pollution policy). But treating the air and (more recently) our atmosphere as resources also anchors our way of thinking to the natural-resource paradigm. The atmosphere, in particular, may be beyond sustainable use. Reimaging the concept of air and the atmosphere as natural resources in law and policy may be necessary to address the worst impacts of a new problem for air: global climate change.

Cambridge Centre for Environment, Energy and Natural Resource Governance (CEENRG) in the Department of Land Economy continues its weekly CEENRG Seminar Series in the 2025 Easter Term.

Please REGISTER to receive Zoom link on the day of the seminar: CEENRG Seminar - Dr Jonathan Skinner-Thompson: Registration Form