EarthJustice
Ella Creció en el Amazonas. Ahora Lucha por Su SupervivenciaElla Creció en el Amazonas. Ahora Lucha por Su Supervivencia La política brasileña Marina Silva habló con Earthjustice sobre la importancia de abordar el cambio climático a raíz de los incendios en el Amazonas. Marina Silva TALITA OLIVEIRA / CC BY 2.0 Casi a lo largo de 2019, más de 17 millones de acres de bosques selváticos en el Amazonas fueron reducidos a cenizas. Mientras el planeta veía con estupor el peligro que enfrentaba el denominado “pulmón del mundo”, la ex candidata presidencial y ambientalista brasileña Marina Silva ha llevado su voz de protesta a eventos internacionales para señalar la…
She Grew up in the Amazon, and Now She’s Fighting For Its LifeShe Grew up in the Amazon, and Now She’s Fighting For Its Life Brazilian politician Marina Silva sat down with Earthjustice to talk about the importance of addressing climate change in the wake of the 2019 Amazon rainforest wildfires. Brazilian politician Marina Silva has called for her country to move rapidly toward clean energy.Talita Oliveira / CC BY 2.0 Last year’s fires in the Amazon reduced over 17 million acres of the rainforest to ashes. As the so-called "lungs of the world" burned, former Brazilian presidential hopeful and environmental activist Marina Silva emerged as the main dissenting voice of her country’s…
In the Fight to Clean up Coal Ash, These States Are Making ProgressIn the Fight to Clean up Coal Ash, These States Are Making Progress Our partners are working to enact coal ash cleanup legislation across the nation. Here are some locations where they've succeeded. Andrew Rehn of Prairie Rivers Network looks at toxic coal ash waste seepage on the shore of the Middle Fork of the Vermilion River in Illinois. ZBIGNIEW BZDAK / CHICAGO TRIBUNE / TNS VIA GETTY IMAGES When coal is burned to produce electricity, a toxic waste known as coal ash is left behind. Filled with chemicals such as arsenic, radium, and other carcinogens, coal ash poisons our…
Tired of Backyard Sewage, Communities Demand Basic Sanitation RightsTired of Backyard Sewage, Communities Demand Basic Sanitation Rights Over 1 million people in the U.S. lack basic sanitation. One rural community is fighting for this human right. Catherine Coleman Flowers stands over a pool of raw sewage outside a home in White Hall, Alabama. For over a decade Flowers has worked as an advocate in the Black Belt, where improper sewage treatment has put the population at risk of infectious diseases. Bob Miller / Redux When Catherine Flowers arrived at the home of a pregnant woman in Lowndes County, Alabama, Flowers immediately noticed the pool of raw sewage festering…
Keeping Florida Panthers Off the Road to ExtinctionKeeping Florida Panthers Off the Road to Extinction Earthjustice has filed a federal lawsuit to target the big cats’ leading cause of death – getting hit by vehicles. A collared panther known as FP 110 and her kitten. Image Courtesy of Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission Here’s proof that human intervention can make the difference for imperiled species: In 1995, only about 30 Florida panthers existed on Earth. After a concerted effort to bolster the breeding population, an estimated 120 to 230 cats roam South Florida today. This population is vulnerable, and that’s why we are continuing to fight…
How We’re Fighting to Give the Everglades a Fighting ChanceHow We’re Fighting to Give the Everglades a Fighting Chance We’ve been fighting for decades to restore the Everglades to nature. Last year, a federal judge ruled that Florida must follow through on a legal agreement it made to clean up the national park. Egrets are one of 400 bird species that call the Everglades home. Chris Johns / National Geographic The story of the Everglades is one of humankind’s audacious attempts to control nature — and Earthjustice’s fight to restore what poet Campbell McGrath calls the “kingdom of otter, kingfisher, alligator, heron.” It began in the late 1800s, when…
Las Aguas de La Florida Se Levantan, Pero Su Gente TambiénLas Aguas de La Florida Se Levantan, Pero Su Gente También Residentes y líderes comunitarios unen esfuerzos en torno a estrategias de resiliencia climática Residentes de Fort Myers, Florida, atraviesan un vecindario inundado después del paso del Huracán Irma en 2017. SPENCER PLATT / GETTY IMAGES En 2017, la tormenta más poderosa que se haya formado jamás en el Atlántico azotó la Florida. Crystal Johnson, quien ha vivido en la Florida desde hace tiempo, recuerda cómo los automóviles obstruían todas las autopistas que salían del estado cuando las personas huían a hoteles superpoblados en Alabama o Georgia. En las inmediaciones…
What the Trump Administration Is Doing to Your WaterWhat the Trump Administration Is Doing to Your Water The administration is attempting to undo the landmark 1972 Clean Water Act. Read on to learn why you should be concerned. Waste floats on the Colorado River near Yuma, Arizona, in 1972. Congress passed the Clean Water Act that year, establishing federal protection for all waters in the U.S. Charles O'Rear / National Archives Latest News: On Jan. 23, 2020, President Trump unveiled his administration’s Dirty Water Rule. In one fell swoop, the administration plans to declare that a significant proportion of the streams, lakes, bays, lagoons, wetlands, headwaters, and more across…
Encontrando Nuestro PoderEncontrando Nuestro Poder Nuestra nueva serie de narración de historias, LIT: Stories from the Frontlines of Climate Justice, busca elevar las historias de personas que luchan por un futuro justo y un clima habitable, e inspirar a otros a hacer lo mismo. Linda Garcia Goldman Environmental Prize Read this page in English. La activista comunitaria Linda García sabe lo que es arriesgar su vida para proteger a su comunidad. Hace varios años, García comenzó a recibir amenazas de muerte casi a diario, después de denunciar el plan de una compañía petrolera para construir el mayor proyecto de crudo por ferrocarril…
Finding Our PowerFinding Our Power Our new storytelling series, LIT: Stories from the Frontlines of Climate Justice, seeks to elevate the stories of people pushing for a just future and livable climate — and inspire others to do the same. Linda Garcia organized with community members, environmental activists, and union leaders to prevent a massive oil export terminal from being built in her hometown of Vancouver, Washington. Goldman Environmental Prize Leer en español. Community activist Linda Garcia knows what it’s like to put her life on the line to protect her community. Several years ago, Garcia began getting death threats almost daily…
Florida’s Waters Are Rising, But So Are Its PeopleFlorida’s Waters Are Rising, But So Are Its People Residents and city leaders rally around climate resilience strategies, in the absence of federal leadership. Residents of Fort Myers, Florida, wade through a flooded neighborhood after Hurricane Irma in 2017. Spencer Platt / Getty Images In 2017, the most powerful Atlantic storm in history hit Florida. Longtime Florida resident Crystal Johnson remembers how cars clogged every highway leading out of the state as people fled to overcrowded hotels in Alabama or Georgia. Outside Johnson’s apartment, Hurricane Irma unleashed 110-mile-per-hour winds that tossed garbage cans and smashed windows. By the time the…
EPA Sits on the Scales of Justice for Polluters With New Environmental Appeals Board ProposalEPA Sits on the Scales of Justice for Polluters With New Environmental Appeals Board Proposal VP of Litigation Patrice Simms explains how the Trump administration is trying to institutionalize lawlessness and corporate cronyism in its most cynical form. The U.S. EPA’s flag flies outside the Federal Triangle complex in Washington, D.C. AIDAN WAKELY MULRONEY / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0 The Environmental Appeals Board (“EAB”) serves as the “final decision maker on administrative appeals under all major environmental statutes that EPA administers.” And the success of the Environmental Protection Agency’s core mission depends, in part, on the accessibility, independence, and impartiality of…
Australia Is on Fire and Its Government Is Blowing SmokeAustralia Is on Fire and Its Government Is Blowing Smoke Attorney Noni Austin explains how the Australian prime minister says the country is doing its fair share to combat the climate crisis — but Australia is now the world’s No. 1 exporter of both coal and gas. A volunteer feeds a baby koala injured in Australia's catastrophic fires in January 2020. Lisa Maree Williams / Getty At least 25 people dead, 20 million acres burned, and a billion native animals killed. These are the devastating impacts of wildfires in Australia early in the southern hemisphere summer. Australians are focused on…
En Memoria de David SternEn Memoria de David Stern Durante 35 años, David aportó su talento y su enorme corazón para apoyar a Earthjustice David Stern, durante una conferencia de prensa en 2013. La pérdida de David deja un enorme vacío en nuestra comunidad y en el mundo. BEBETO MATTHEWS / AP El mundo ha perdido un ser humano increíble y Earthjustice ha perdido un defensor incomparable en David Stern. Durante 35 años, David aportó su talento y su enorme corazón para apoyarnos. David usó toda su disposición para ayudarnos a ser la mejor organización posible y prevalecer en peleas difíciles durante momentos cruciales.…
In Memory: David SternIn Memory: David Stern For 35 years, David brought his tough-minded talent and enormous heart to bear in supporting Earthjustice. David Stern, during a news conference in 2013. David’s loss leaves an enormous hole in our community and in the world. Bebeto Matthews / AP The world has lost an amazing human being, and Earthjustice has lost an incomparable champion in David Stern. For 35 years, David brought his tough-minded talent and enormous heart to bear in supporting Earthjustice. David used all the tools at his disposal to help us be our best and prevail in tough fights at pivotal…
9 Justices, 30 Minutes: Our Lawyer’s Big Moment at the Supreme Court9 Justices, 30 Minutes: Our Lawyer’s Big Moment at the Supreme Court This fall, Earthjustice attorney David Henkin went to the Supreme Court to protect everyone’s right to clean water. Earthjustice attorney David Henkin went to the Supreme Court to argue Hawaiʻi Wildlife Fund v. County of Maui. Melissa Lyttle for Earthjustice What you need to know → On Nov. 6, 2019, 10:00am EST, Earthjustice attorney David Henkin presented oral arguments at the U.S. Supreme Court. Read highlights from the hearing. → Hawaiʻi Wildlife Fund v. County of Maui threatens to gravely weaken the federal law that protects the nation’s clean water.…
The Surprising Climate Power Behind Whale PoopThe Surprising Climate Power Behind Whale Poop Saving whales could be a high-impact solution to combating climate change. A North Atlantic right whale swims with its calf. Photo Courtesy of NOAA When it comes to sucking up carbon, trees are often — and rightly so — known as sequestering superstars, storing about a third of the world’s emissions within their massive trunks. But a new paper suggests that we should look both up to the trees and down into the seas if we really want to combat the climate crisis from all angles, including by sequestering carbon emissions. According to…
La Hija de Berta Cáceres Continúa La Lucha de Su Madre en Honduras: ‘Somos Un País Que Nos Merecemos Justicia’La Hija de Berta Cáceres Continúa La Lucha de Su Madre en Honduras: ‘Somos Un País Que Nos Merecemos Justicia’ En entrevista con Earthjustice, Zúñiga Cáceres discute los desafíos que enfrenta como lideresa del COPINH, su búsqueda por descubrir el autor intelectual de la muerte de su madre, y por qué multinacionales de Europa y Estados Unidos deben adquirir conciencia de su rol en un esquema de seguridad cada vez más deteriorado en Honduras. Desde 2017, Bertha Zúñiga Cáceres, una activista de origen Lenca, ha llevado las riendas del Consejo Cívico de Organizaciones Populares e Indígenas de Honduras (COPINH), la…
Daughter of Murdered Environmental Activist Carries on Her Mother's Work in HondurasDaughter of Murdered Environmental Activist Carries on Her Mother's Work in Honduras In an interview with Earthjustice, Bertha Zúñiga Cáceres discusses the work she has inherited and the role the U.S. plays in Honduras' security woes. Environmental activist Bertha Zúñiga Cáceres is now leading the National Council of Popular and Indigenous Organizations of Honduras. angelamcave / CC BY 2.0 Leer en español Update, 12/3/19: Seven men were were sentenced to decades in prison today after being found guilty of the murder of renowned environmental activist Berta Cáceres. However, the activist’s daughter, Bertha Zúñiga, is still waiting on justice. “The impunity…
This Thanksgiving, Remember that Hands Grow Your FoodThis Thanksgiving, Remember that Hands Grow Your Food The people who grow our food deserve the same health protections that you and I enjoy. This Thanksgiving, you can take action to help them. Annual National Farmworker Awareness Week is about the people who put food on our tables. Alejandro Dávila Fragoso / Earthjustice One morning many years ago, my best friend and I put cameras and microphones in the back of my jeep and drove to the nearest farm field. Our mission was simple yet daunting: document farm work, officially become filmmakers and show our movie in theaters as soon…
