Legal battles stem global fossil fuel expansions

Global Indigenous and grassroots movements are successfully using legal routes to halt new fossil fuel projects, safeguarding their lands from exploitation.

Delger Erdenesanaa reports for The New York Times.

In short:

Recent years have seen significant legal victories in India, South Africa, and Australia against coal and oil projects.
These efforts are recognized with the Goldman Environmental Prize awarded to leaders from six nations.
Community actions blend environmental protection with human rights, emphasizing local and global ecological impacts.

Key quote:

"One of the things we’ve seen in recent years is that environmental law, protection of natural resources, has become intertwined with human rights law and the law of Indigenous people."

— Michael Sutton, executive director of the Goldman Environmental Foundation

Why this matters:

These community-led legal victories prevent local ecological damage and contribute globally by reducing potential new sources of fossil fuel emissions. At the heart of these legal fights is the recognition that environmental degradation often disproportionately impacts the most vulnerable communities, including Indigenous populations whose livelihoods and cultural heritage are deeply rooted in their ancestral lands.

Be sure to check out EHN's 2021 piece: Why Indigenous women are risking arrest to fight Enbridge’s Line 3 pipeline through Minnesota

www.nytimes.com

Legal battles stem global fossil fuel expansions

New office at Stony Brook University links climate, community and health

Fragmented forests sequester less carbon

EU countries are bailing out fossil fuels instead of funding the green transition, Greenpeace warns

Experts: You have some power to reduce your AI environmental footprint

Indigenous cultural practices are a climate solution, report finds

Carbon captured

After a civil rights complaint, Chicago built an extensive air-monitoring network

Multiple Houston-area oil and gas facilities that have violated pollution laws are seeking permit renewals

One facility has emitted cancer-causing chemicals into waterways at levels up to 520% higher than legal limits.

Pennsylvania health advocates say Trump’s first 100 days in office have caused “100 harms” to local communities

“They're terrorizing these scientists because they want to keep them silent.”

Regulators are underestimating health impacts from air pollution: Study

"The reality is, we are not exposed to one chemical at a time.”

Two years into his term, has Gov. Shapiro kept his promises to regulate Pennsylvania’s fracking industry?

A new report assesses the administration’s progress and makes new recommendations

An open letter from EPA staff to the American public

“We cannot stand by and allow this to happen. We need to hold this administration accountable.”

New evidence links heavy metal pollution with wildfire retardants

“The chemical black box” that blankets wildfire-impacted areas is increasingly under scrutiny.