James Salzman

James Salzman is the Donald Bren Distinguished Professor of Environmental Law at the UCLA School of Law and an expert on environmental law. Salzman’s work has addressed topics spanning drinking water, water rights, trade and environment conflicts, policy instrument design and the legal and institutional issues in creating markets for ecosystem services. He is also affiliated with the Emmett Institute on Climate Change and the Environment.

Salzman also holds an appointment at the Bren School of the Environment at UC Santa Barbara. He has written two best-selling books. “Drinking Water: A History,” was praised as a “Recommended Read” by Scientific American and reviewed in the New York Times and Washington Post. “Mine! How the Hidden Rules of Ownership Control Our Lives” was reviewed by the New Yorker and many other publications. The Financial Times listed it as one of the top five nonfiction books in 2021.