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Natural Resources Law as a Model for Biotechnology Governance

Speaker: Jonas Monast, JD, C. Boyden Gray Distinguished Fellow, UNC School of Law

Profile | CV | jmonast@email.unc.edu

Abstract

Advanced gene editing techniques are new, but many of the conflicts presented by the techniques are not. Disputes over resource use, alteration, and preservation are recurring themes in natural resources law. Although existing laws do not contemplate the ability to reorder ecosystems via gene editing, there are established regulatory systems designed to address risks of extinction, balance competing ideologies, and incorporate interests of future generations. This presentation will discuss the emerging conflicts between biotechnology governance and natural resources management, and explore how existing natural resources laws can inform biotechnology governance challenges.

Related Publications

Jonas J. Monast, Governing Extinction in the Era of Gene Editing, 97 N.C. L. REV. (2019). https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3420948

Jonas J. Monast, Editing Nature: Reconceptualizing Biotechnology Governance, 59 B.C. L. REV. 2377 (2018). https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3143270

Speaker Bio

Jonas Monast is the C. Boyden Gray Distinguished Fellow at the UNC School of Law and directs the Center for Climate, Energy, Environment & Economics (CE3). His work focuses on climate change mitigation, aligning energy and environmental policy goals, and the intersection between natural resources and emerging technologies. Prior to joining the Carolina Law faculty, Monast directed the Climate and Energy Program at Duke University’s Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions and taught courses on energy and environmental issues at Duke University’s School of Law and Nicholas School of the Environment. Monast has also worked as an attorney in the Corporate Social Responsibility Practice at Foley Hoag LLP, as a congressional fellow for the late Senator Paul Wellstone, and as legislative counsel for the Center for Responsible Lending. Monast received his BA from Appalachian State University in 1995 and his JD in 2002 from the Georgetown University Law Center.