US environmental law and policy trends in 2021 and what they might mean for Australia

Abstract

Throughout 2021, the Biden administration has pursued a series of key climate change and environmental justice initiatives. Given that, historically, American environmental law developments have long been acknowledged as influential for Australia, it is expected that the Biden administration’s initiatives will shape the trajectory of Australian climate change and environmental law in the future. This opinion piece distils the detail of the Biden administration’s actions across the spheres of executive orders, agency appointments, the Glasgow Climate Change Conference (COP26), regulatory measures and law reform to analyse the emerging precedent and prospective implications for Australian law.