Joseph Sax, Environmental Attorney Passes Away at 78

Joseph Sax in 2013

Joseph Sax, who many consider to have established the current foundation of environmental law has passed away at the age of 78. As noted in the NY Times obituary:

In his signal achievement, Professor Sax reached back to ancient Roman law to formulate a far-reaching legal doctrine that recognizes the air, seas and other natural resources as a public trust that must be protected from private encroachment.

The NY Times goes on to state:

In an article frequently described as seminal, Professor Sax proposed that some natural resources — the oceans, other bodies of water, shorelines, the air and portions of land — are so important that they should be treated in the courts as a “public trust,” and that citizens had the right to sue to protect them against government, business and private individuals who might threaten them.

His presence will be deeply missed but what he established as law will be carried forward for the benefit of future generations.