EarthJustice
World Trade Organization Is Negotiating New Agreement to Protect Our Oceans From OverfishingWorld Trade Organization Is Negotiating New Agreement to Protect Our Oceans From Overfishing Earthjustice is one of more than 160 leading environmental organizations that have signed on in support of ending unsustainable funding practices One of the ocean's biggest and most powerful fish, bluefin tuna are disappearing because of commercial fishing in the areas where they reproduce. UGO MONTALDO / SHUTTERSTOCK First, the bad news: Overfishing, one of the biggest threats to our planet, is happening far away from public view, in the middle of the world’s oceans. Now, the hopeful news: This problem is preventable, and world leaders are…
Es Hora De Decirle Adiós Al Gas DomésticoEs Hora De Decirle Adiós Al Gas Doméstico Los aparatos de gas están contaminando nuestros hogares. Las líneas de gas provocan trágicas explosiones. Electrificar nuestra oferta de viviendas puede ayudar. Mari Rose Taruc John Osgood para Earthjustice Imagine que usted se muda a un apartamento o una casa. Le pregunta al propietario si hay alguna inquietud que deba conocer. El propietario responde que no, aparte del material altamente explosivo que atraviesa sus paredes y cimientos. Agrega que no hay que preocuparse por el riesgo de explosión, en caso de un terremoto que rompa las tuberías (que no han tenido mejoras…
Chemicals Lurking in Toys and Costumes are Harmful to Children. EPA Must Act Now.Chemicals Lurking in Toys and Costumes are Harmful to Children. EPA Must Act Now. Plastics are everywhere: in couches, televisions, makeup, toys, costumes, and even children’s bodies. New reports show the dangers synthetic chemicals in plastics pose to children’s health. Are your children's plastic toys and costumes safe for their health? Photo by SupportPDX Two recent reports released by the EU-based groups, Health and Environmental Alliance (HEAL) and the Regional Activity Centre for Sustainable Consumption and Production (SCP/RAC), are among the first large-scale efforts to illustrate plastic pollution not only as an environmental threat, but also as a problem of chemical safety…
Joe Biden Gana: Es Hora de Trabajar por el Planeta y Los que la HabitanJoe Biden Gana: Es Hora de Trabajar por el Planeta y Los que la Habitan La gente ha hablado en las urnas y Joe Biden es el presidente electo, pero el trabajo no termina aquí. Andrew Harnik / AP Photo La gente ha hablado en las urnas y Joe Biden es el presidente electo, pero el trabajo no termina aquí. Los últimos cuatro años fueron una prueba de supervivencia y ahora es momento de reconstruir para que podamos prosperar en verdad. Es hora de un cambio transformador que construya un mundo equitativo, justo y resistente al clima, sin dejar a…
Cada Voto CuentaCada Voto Cuenta Una papeleta sigue siendo una papeleta, ya sea que se envíe por correo o se deposite en una urna de forma presencial. Andrew Caballero-Reynolds / AFP via Getty Images Aún desconocemos el resultado final de las elecciones de 2020. Earthjustice apoya los esfuerzos legales para que se haga un recuento completo de los votos. La protesta pacífica también puede contribuir a garantizar elecciones justas. Nuestro medio ambiente, nuestro clima y nuestra democracia están en juego. La precisión e integridad de la elección depende de contar cada voto. Una papeleta sigue siendo una papeleta, ya sea que se…
Stopping the EPA’s Attack on Clean Water ProtectionsStopping the EPA’s Attack on Clean Water Protections Earthjustice files a new lawsuit challenging the Trump administration's giveaway to the coal power industry. A coal plant in Wyoming Greg Goebel / CC BY-SA 2.0 Earthjustice filed a new lawsuit today challenging the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) weakening of rules originally designed to protect people and the environment from water contaminated by coal ash. Instead, the EPA’s changes to these rules protect the coal industry over all else. For most of the 20th century, coal-fired power plants generated the majority of energy used in the United States. As we adopt new…
Profit-Hungry Utilities Fail to Stifle Solar EnergyProfit-Hungry Utilities Fail to Stifle Solar Energy Good news for the electric bills of millions of Americans: A federal agency protected one of the country’s most important solar energy incentives Workers install a solar panel. Chris Jordan-Bloch / Earthjustice To stave off the worst impacts of the climate crisis, we must change where our energy comes from. Switching from energy generated by fossil fuels like gas, coal, and oil to renewable sources like solar and wind can drastically reduce the heat-trapping carbon emissions warming our planet. Profit-driven fossil fuel companies are fighting to keep us locked in to using dirty…
New Oceans Bill Offers One Plan for Two CrisesNew Oceans Bill Offers One Plan for Two Crises This might seem obvious, but our planet is mostly ocean. So we can’t talk about a sustainable future and environmental justice without also talking about ocean protection. Wind turbines off the coast of Block Island, Rhode Island. The Maryland wind farm project is projected to create 9,700 jobs and generate more than $1.8 billion of in-state spending. DENNIS SCHROEDER / NREL What are often less obvious are the links between ocean ecosystems and human rights. Threats such as polluted runoff, rising sea-levels, and habitat destruction are having severe impacts on public…
‘¿Qué Significa Para Mí El Mes De La Herencia Hispana? Se Trata De Orgullo, Empatia E Ira’.‘¿Qué Significa Para Mí El Mes De La Herencia Hispana? Se Trata De Orgullo, Empatia E Ira’. La diáspora hispana y latina es un mundo amplio, incluso dentro del universo cultural en una ciudad como Nueva York El abogado de Earthjustice Julián González (medio) junto con su madre Jackie y su difunto padre Waldemar. Julián González En este Mes de la Herencia Hispana, he estado pensando mucho en mis padres y en la vida que hicieron posible para mí. Crecer como puertorriqueño en Nueva York implica muchas preguntas sobre tu persona. Apenas había estado en la Isla, no hablaba español…
‘What Does Latinx Heritage Month Mean to Me? It’s About Pride, Empathy, and Anger.’‘What Does Latinx Heritage Month Mean to Me? It’s About Pride, Empathy, and Anger.’ The Latinx diaspora is a vast world, even within the larger cultural universe of New York City. Earthjustice attorney Julian Gonzalez (middle) with his mother Jackie and his late father Waldemar. All photos courtesy of Julian Gonzalez This Latinx Heritage Month, I’ve been thinking a lot about my parents and the life they made possible for me. Growing up as a Puerto Rican in New York involves a lot of wondering about who you are. I had hardly been to the Island, I did not speak…
What Happens When a Hurricane Smashes Into Fossil Fuels?What Happens When a Hurricane Smashes Into Fossil Fuels? When hurricanes hit our coasts, vulnerable fossil fuel plants threaten local communities, wildlife, and entire ecosystems with a “second storm” of toxic air, poisoned water, and chemical fires. Here‘s what needs to be done to reduce and eliminate the risks. The nation's largest oil refinery, owned by Motiva and located in Port Arthur, Texas, was forced to shut down in 2017 due to flooding from Hurricane Harvey. Alex Glostrum / Louisiana Bucket Brigade Black smoke billowed from a chemical plant near Lake Charles, Louisiana. The worst of Hurricane Laura had passed,…
Leaking and Looming, Legacy Coal Ash Ponds Spew Poisons. Is There One Near You?Leaking and Looming, Legacy Coal Ash Ponds Spew Poisons. Is There One Near You? Despite a court order, Trump's EPA is dragging its feet on regulating this toxic threat. Andrew Rehn, right, of the Prairie Rivers Network and Lan Richart of Eco-Justice Collaborative paddle past toxic coal ash waste seepage on Illinois' Vermilion River in 2018. Tribune Content Agency LLC / Alamy Stock Photo Update, 10/1/20: The EPA published a grossly inadequate and illegal response to the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals' 2018 order requiring the EPA to address the threat from legacy coal ash ponds. Two years later, the…
The Planet Cannot Afford a Risky Choice for the Supreme CourtThe Planet Cannot Afford a Risky Choice for the Supreme Court We need Justices who will make sure our courts remain a place where science and the law beat corruption and privilege. Amy Coney Barrett, a staunchly conservative judge on the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals, has been selected by Trump to replace late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg with an expedited Senate confirmation hearing. Samuel Corum / The New York Times via Redux For fifty years, Earthjustice has been fighting in the courts on behalf of our planet and its people. As the country’s premier environmental law firm, we are…
El Planeta No Puede Permitirse Una Elección Arriesgada Para La Corte SupremaEl Planeta No Puede Permitirse Una Elección Arriesgada Para La Corte Suprema Necesitamos jueces que garanticen que nuestras cortes sean lugares donde la ciencia y la ley venzan la corrupción y los privilegios. Amy Coney Barrett, una jueza incondicionalmente conservadora de la Corte de Apelaciones del Séptimo Circuito, ha sido seleccionada por Trump para reemplazar a la recién fallecida jueza Ruth Bader Ginsburg con un proceso de confirmación acelerado del Senado. Samuel Corum / The New York Times via Redux Durante 50 años, Earthjustice ha estado luchando en las cortes en nombre de nuestro planeta y de aquellos que la…
This Dreamy Alaskan Rainforest is a Buffer Against Climate ChangeThis Dreamy Alaskan Rainforest is a Buffer Against Climate Change The Tongass National Forest is threatened by a rule change that would allow new clear-cut logging. We’re fighting to defend it. A humpback whale breaches in Seymour Canal, with Mt. Sumdum and the Tongass National Forest in the background. Michael Penn Ever wonder what it feels like to hug an 800-year-old tree? Or see a glacier’s blue orbs of ice from the inside out? Or hear the shrill call of bald eagles, by the hundreds, soaring overhead? These are everyday experiences in the Tongass National Forest. Situated in the southeast…
What the Environment Needs in a Supreme Court JusticeWhat the Environment Needs in a Supreme Court Justice As we mourn the loss of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, we must sadly also prepare for a contentious debate over her replacement. People gather at a makeshift memorial for late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg on the steps of the Supreme Court building in Washington, D.C., on September 18, 2020. ALEX EDELMAN / AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES For fifty years, Earthjustice has been fighting in the courts on behalf of our planet and its people. As the country’s premier environmental law firm, we know what a Supreme Court nomination means…
‘Ruth Bader Ginsburg Is One of the Reasons I Work at Earthjustice’: Honoring a Legal Giant’s Legacy‘Ruth Bader Ginsburg Is One of the Reasons I Work at Earthjustice’: Honoring a Legal Giant’s Legacy Earthjustice staff share their memories of Justice Ginsburg and their reflections on her career. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, shown here at the Court in 2013, advocated for gender equality throughout her career. Nikki Kahn / The Washington Post Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s fierce championing of civil rights and sharp legal mind advanced America’s vision of equality and justice. The U.S. Supreme Court → A look into Judge Amy Coney Barrett’s scant legal record. Read analysis. → What the environment needs in a Supreme…
It’s Time to Say Goodbye to Household GasIt’s Time to Say Goodbye to Household Gas Gas appliances are polluting our homes. Gas lines cause tragic explosions. Electrifying our housing supply can help. Mari Rose Taruc of Reclaim Our Power is advocating for a safe, reliable energy system that benefits everyone. John Osgood for Earthjustice Imagine you’re moving into an apartment or a house. You ask the owner if there are any concerns you should know about. The owner replies no, other than the highly explosive material coursing through your walls and foundation. They add that there’s no need to worry about the risk of explosion, in the…
‘Debemos creer que podemos cambiar el mundo drásticamente’‘Debemos creer que podemos cambiar el mundo drásticamente’ Un relato sobre cómo la protesta obliga a que las personas en el poder tengan que enfrentarse a las injusticias que su sistema creó Victoria Cassinova para Earthjustice Isabel Valentín es una activista ambiental de 17 años que vive en Viejo San Juan, Puerto Rico. Actúa como miembro del equipo de logística del US Youth Climate Strike. Su historia es parte del proyecto de Earthjustice Lit, que sirve para inspirar acción y alcanzar un mundo más justo, elevando las historias de aquellos y aquellas luchando por la justicia climática. La primera vez…
‘We Have to Believe That We Can Change the World Drastically’‘We Have to Believe That We Can Change the World Drastically’ How protesting forces those in power to face the injustices the system has created “Despite what others may say, protest is no easy way out,” writes Puerto Rican climate activist Isabel Valentín. Victoria Cassinova for Earthjustice Isabel Valentín is a 17-year-old climate activist from Viejo San Juan, Puerto Rico, who serves as logistics director for U.S. Youth Climate Strike. As part of Earthjustice’s Lit project, we are sharing the perspectives of justice advocates outside Earthjustice who are working to solve the climate crisis. The first time I was tear-gassed,…
A Guide for Protecting Our Children from Lead PoisoningA Guide for Protecting Our Children from Lead Poisoning Earthjustice's Better Lead Policy toolkit offers three key practices for eliminating lead poisoning hazards before children are harmed. Paint made before 1978 contains lead, which poses serious health risks to children who live in older houses that still contain lead-based paint. Getty Images Lead poisoning is a silent public health crisis, and the damages to children are irreversible. This crisis is a matter of environmental justice that affects Black and Latinx children at disproportionately higher rates. Globally, one-third of children suffer from the effects of lead poisoning. The number of children in…
