Professor of Law Emeritus Byron Sher spoke to a packed house on February 24 on the topic of global warming at this year’s Robert Minge Brown Lecture. The lectureship was established in 1998 with a gift from the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation to honor its former board member, Robert Minge Brown. The recipients are distinguished scholars, policymakers, or lawyers who have made vital contributions to environmental policy. Sher,

who was a California state senator from 1996 to 2004 and served for more than 15 years in the state assembly, is responsible for authoring such groundbreaking legislation as the California Clean Air Act and the California Climate Action Registry Law.

“Byron Sher’s lecture reminds us that California has long been on the forefront of efforts to address climate change,” says Margaret “Meg” Caldwell ’85, senior lecturer in law and director, Environmental and Natural Resources Law and Policy Program. “His poignant assessment of what has been accomplished and what still needs to be done continues to be a source of wisdom and inspiration.”