Denver Law Hosts Second Annual Renewable Energy Law & Policy Summit on October 19, 2012; National Leaders Convene to Discuss the Current State of the Renewable Energy Sector

Denver Law will host the Second Annual Renewable Energy Law & Policy Summit on October 19, 2012, at the Sturm College of Law on the University of Denver campus.

The opening keynote address will be made by former Colorado Gov. Bill Ritter Jr, who directs the Center for the New Energy Economy at Colorado State University.  The luncheon keynote address will feature Dr. Susan Tierney, Managing Principal at the Analysis Group in Boston.

The program also includes four panels, which will address many of the most important issues being considered today in the renewable energy development community:

• Renewable Energy and the U.S. Military
• The Role the Media Plays in Influencing Renewable Energy Policy
• How are Municipalities Driving the Development of Renewable Energy
• Renewable Portfolio Standards at 10: Where Have we Been?  Where are we Going?

The summit, which will feature many of the nation's renewable energy policy and development leaders, is another example of Denver Law's leadership in the renewable energy sector. Denver Law has the most renewable energy course offerings of any U.S. law school.

Don Smith, director of Denver Law's Environmental and Natural Resources Law Program, said, "It is a great honor for Denver Law to organize this event for the second year.  Denver and Colorado are centers of excellence for renewable energy, and Denver Law takes seriously our role to convene national leaders to discuss this important energy sector.

"We are especially appreciative of our sponsors: Holland and Hart, the presenting and founding sponsor; Welborn Sullivan Meck and Tooley PC, the breakfast and morning keynote address sponsor; and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, a supporting sponsor.  Their involvement and support makes this event possible and illustrates the leadership they are providing in the renewable energy sector," Mr. Smith said.

To register for the Renewable Energy Law & Policy Summit, please click here.

International Conference on Biodiversity

The 1992 UN Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro created the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). This is one of three historic international agreements created at the Earth Summit. On October 8th more than 2,000 delegates from 150 countries met in Hyderabad, India for the 11th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity.

All 193 UN member governments have signed and ratified the CBD and are a party to it. The objectives of the CBD "are the conservation of biological diversity, the sustainable use of its components and the fair and equitable sharing of the benefits arising out of the utilization of genetic resources, including by appropriate access to genetic resources and by appropriate transfer of relevant technologies, taking into account all rights over those resources and to technologies, and by appropriate funding."

The Conference in India is set to discuss progress in the achievement of biodiversity goals as well as problems and challenges faced in the implementation of the CBD. The last conference was held in Nagoya, Japan, two years ago. The main focus rested on reducing the rate of loss of the planet's natural habitats.

The World Wildlife Fund reported that countries have failed to deliver on commitments made in Japan. "Governments can only be serious about these targets if they are prepared to invest in achieving them. We need to see richer countries helping poorer countries and all countries increasing their domestic budgets," Rolf Hogan, biodiversity policy coordinator at the WWF said.

Julia Marton-Lefevre, director general of the International Union for Conservation of Nature stated, "We need to keep the momentum going, Biodiversity loss continues and has breached safe planetary boundaries. It's time for a serious check-up on progress we've made to turn the big plan into big action."

Angelica Oman

Graduate Program Assistant