Ever since the Kyoto Protocol’s entry into force in 2005, the central question facing the United Nations climate change regime has been what to do after 2012, when the Kyoto Protocol’s initial limits on greenhouse gas emissions expire. When states negotiated the Kyoto Protocol more than a decade ago, their intent was to establish an enduring policy architecture, consisting of internationally defined, legally binding emissions reduction targets, combined with market mechanisms such as emissions trading to achieve those targets. Although the Kyoto Protocol itself set targets for only a five-year commitment period running from 2008–2012, the expectation was that this first commitment period would be followed by a second commitment period, a third, and so on, indefinitely into the future. But relatively few countries, representing only about a quarter of global carbon dioxide emissions, have been willing to accept internationally defined emissions reduction targets under the Kyoto Protocol.3 And even

Here’s an image of Professor Daniel Bodansky.

Biography: Daniel M. Bodansky

Current Positions & Affiliations

• Regents’ Professor of Law at the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law, Arizona State University (ASU), and Foundation Professor of Law (sustainability-innovation.asu.edu, ASU News).

• Faculty Co-Director of the Center for Law and Global Affairs, and affiliate faculty member with the Center for Law, Science and Innovation and the Julie Ann Wrigley Global Institute of Sustainability (sustainability-innovation.asu.edu, newsroom.asu.edu).

• Senior Adviser at the Center for Climate and Energy Solutions (C2ES) (Center for Climate and Energy Solutions).

Academic Credentials

• A.B. from Harvard University (1979)

• M.Phil. in History & Philosophy of Science from Cambridge University (1981)

• J.D. from Yale University (1984) (jura.ku.dk, ycej.yale.edu).

Academic Career

• Faculty at the University of Washington School of Law (1989–2002); later Associate Dean and Woodruff Chair in International Law at the University of Georgia School of Law (2002–2010) (jura.ku.dk, Center for Climate and Energy Solutions).

• Joined ASU in 2010; also held the title Lincoln Professor of Law, Ethics and Sustainability starting that year (ASU News, Center for Climate and Energy Solutions).

Government & Policy Roles

• Attorney-Advisor at the U.S. Department of State (1985–1989).

• Climate Change Coordinator at the State Department (1999–2001) (jura.ku.dk, Center for Climate and Energy Solutions).

• Consultant to the United Nations on climate change and tobacco control issues (Center for Climate and Energy Solutions, newsroom.asu.edu).

• Advisor to projects like Beyond Kyoto, Pocantico Dialogue, and Toward 2015 under the Pew Center on Global Climate Change (search.asu.edu, Center for Climate and Energy Solutions).

Contributions & Recognitions

• Author of The Art and Craft of International Environmental Law (Harvard University Press, 2010); received the prestigious Sprout Award (2011) (Center for Climate and Energy Solutions, Perry World House).

• Co-author of International Climate Change Law (Oxford University Press, 2017), awarded the American Society of International Law's Certificate of Merit (2018) (Perry World House, ycej.yale.edu).

• Co-editor of the Oxford Handbook of International Environmental Law (sustainability-innovation.asu.edu).

• Has authored numerous scholarly articles and book chapters on international environmental law and climate governance (search.asu.edu, Center for Climate and Energy Solutions).

Professional Affiliations & Awards

• Member of the Council on Foreign Relations and the American Society of International Law (Center for Climate and Energy Solutions, search.asu.edu).

• Served on the Board of Editors of the American Journal of International Law (2001–2011) (search.asu.edu, Center for Climate and Energy Solutions).

• U.S.-nominated arbitrator under the Antarctic Environmental Protocol (Center for Climate and Energy Solutions, sustainability-innovation.asu.edu).

• Honored with fellowships such as the Council on Foreign Relations International Affairs Fellowship, Pew Faculty Fellowship in International Affairs, and a Jean Monnet Fellowship from the European University Institute (search.asu.edu, ASU News).

Summary Table

Professor Bodansky has been a pillar in shaping the intersection of international law and climate policy, offering both academic leadership and practical diplomacy insight. Curious about his specific publications or his role in UN climate negotiations? Happy to dive deeper!