Property Law and Climate Change: Inextricably Linked

Property Law and Climate Change: Inextricably Linked reveals a critical oversight in global climate action: the failure to integrate property law into climate policy and regulatory frameworks.

Through systematic analysis of mitigation and adaptation strategies, Property Law and Climate Change: Inextricably Linked demonstrates how the neglect of property law fundamentals undermines the effectiveness of climate responses, with particular focus on Australia and New Zealand. The book offers both diagnosis and direction, examining why current approaches fall short and identifying how property law integration could strengthen climate responses. From land use planning to coastal adaptation and carbon sequestration, the authors demonstrate that property law must be integrated within climate change policy. By mapping these crucial connections, this book provides a roadmap for developing regulatory frameworks that work with, rather than against, existing property systems.

This book will appeal to researchers in the fields of property law, environmental law and governance, and comparative law. It will also be of interest to policymakers, lawmakers, urban planners, and legal practitioners.

Vanessa Johnston is a Senior Lecturer in the School of Law at RMIT University, Melbourne, Australia. Vanessa's research focuses of practical aspects of private property and land use including sustainable transport, and the roles that these issues play in regulatory responses to climate change, both mitigation and adaptation. Vanessa's previous professional legal experience informs her practical approach to teaching and research.

Ben France-Hudson is an Associate Professor in the Faculty of Law at the University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand. Ben is an award-winning researcher whose work focuses on the law and theory of private property, with a particular focus on natural resources, land law and the anticipated effects of climate change. Ben’s previous roles include as a Judges’ Clerk, Solicitor in the Treasury Solicitor’s Office (London), an Assistant Crown Counsel in the Crown Law Office (Wellington), and as Principal Analyst for the Ministry for the Environment (Wellington).