Environmental Law Scholar Michael Wara Joins Stanford Law School Faculty

STANFORD, Calif.--(Business Wire)--
Stanford Law School today announced the appointment of
environmental scholar Michael Wara as Assistant Professor of Law.
Trained as a lawyer and a scientist, Wara's current research focuses
on the emerging global carbon trading market and mechanisms for
reducing greenhouse gas emissions after the Kyoto Protocol expires in
2012. His broader scholarship encompasses the legal, financial, and
technological constraints on the production of energy.

"Michael is a pioneer in the next generation of legal academics
working on the environment -- scholars who can think about and
approach issues of environmental law and policy with a deep
understanding of the underlying science and technology," said Larry
Kramer, Richard E. Lang Professor of Law and Dean. "There is no more
important work to be done, and Michael is on the cutting edge."

Wara's most recent research sheds light on the Kyoto Protocol
Clean Development Mechanism (CDM), a carbon trading market that works
by paying developing countries to adopt lower-polluting technologies.
Wara's findings, published in Nature in February 2007 and the subject
of a follow-up working paper with co-researcher Professor of Law David
Victor, suggest that CDM is not an effective incentive for reducing
emissions.

Wara, who is also a fellow at the Program on Energy and
Sustainable Development at Stanford's Freeman Spogli Institute for
International Studies (FSI), draws on an extensive background in
oceanography, geochemistry, and climate science. He holds a doctorate
in ocean sciences from UC Santa Cruz (2003) and has published work in
Science on the history of the El Nino/La Nina system and its response
to changing climates.

"This is a defining moment in environmental law, and I cannot
think of a better place to be teaching and conducting research than at
Stanford Law," said Wara, who is teaching Environmental Law and Policy
this winter. "In addition to being a world-class arena for
interdisciplinary research, the law school is at the forefront of
using rigorous empirical approaches to understanding the real-world
impact of environmental law and policy."

Wara joined Stanford in 2007 as a research fellow and lecturer in
law at Stanford Law and as a FSI research fellow. Previously, Wara was
an associate in Holland & Knight's Government Practice Group, where
his practice focused on climate change, land use, and environmental
law. In addition to a PhD in ocean sciences, he holds a BA from
Columbia University (1996) and a JD from Stanford Law School (2006).

About Stanford Law School

Stanford Law School (www.law.stanford.edu) is one of the nation's
leading institutions for legal scholarship and education. Its alumni
are among the most influential decision makers in law, politics,
business, and technology. Faculty members argue before the Supreme
Court, testify before Congress, and write books and articles for
academic audiences, as well as the popular press. Along with offering
traditional law school classes, the school has embraced new subjects
and new ways of teaching.

Stanford Law School
Amy Poftak, 650-725-7516
Assistant Director of Communications
poftak@law.stanford.edu

Copyright Business Wire 2008