Consulting expertise and experience related to climate change
Bates White’s established strengths in environmental disputes, mass torts, and energy enable us to help clients navigate novel and rapidly developing climate-related issues at the intersection of emissions, economics, technology, and law. We have advised a wide variety of clients over time regarding corporate strategies, public policies, and investment approaches related to carbon emissions and climate change. We have also analyzed attribution models to test their reliability for estimating entities’ contributions to CO2 emissions.
With decades of experience, our partners serve as advisers and expert witnesses in energy and infrastructure disputes and in matters spanning mass torts, environmental regulation, insurance and reinsurance, and bankruptcy and restructuring. This background, combined with a long record of valuation, damages estimation, and forecasting, provides a strong foundation for advising clients as climate-related issues, such as emissions attribution, emerge in judicial and regulatory contexts where precedent is limited and potential liabilities are significant.
We have performed extensive research using publicly available production data for oil, gas, coal, and cement, and gained significant insights to inform the legal and economic basis of arguments and analyses. Our experience includes:
- Assessing strategies, policies, and technologies related to carbon emissions and climate change
- Evaluating emissions attribution models and underlying data in potential climate liability disputes
- Estimating and forecasting damages tied to environmental claims
- Assessing risk and financial exposure in transactions and regulatory proceedings
- Advising on expert analysis that may be presented in judicial and administrative forums
- Examining emerging liability theories with limited precedent