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Residents of La Oroya, Peru, hold a sign that reads "Doe Run, it is enough of environmental crimes" during a march through the streets of Lima demanding medical assistance and a halt to the pollution generated by mining in Peru. (Fotoholica Press / LightRocket via Getty Images)
Article March 28, 2024

Historic Court Decision Puts Big Polluters on Notice in Latin America

An international court ruled in favor of the people of La Oroya, Peru, finding that the government violated their right to a healthy environment.

In the News: Public News Service March 27, 2024

Partial shutdown of crab fishing season considered to protect whales

Andrea Treece, Attorney, Oceans Program: “We leave too much gear on the water too late in the season; we wait until the risk is elevated. Too often, it’s too late to protect those whales. And so we need to really learn our lesson from the past.”

A smelter in La Oroya, Peru has polluted the small Andean city for generations. (Mitchell Gilbert for AIDA)
Press Release: Victory March 22, 2024

Inter-American Court Ruling on La Oroya Case Sets Key Precedent for the Protection of a Healthy Environment

The Court found Peru responsible for violating the rights of residents of La Oroya, who have been exposed to unsafe levels of toxic contamination for generations

In the News: Gillette News Record March 28, 2024

Court rules against BLM on oil and gas lease sales

Alexandra Schluntz, Attorney, Rocky Mountain Office: “The Bureau of Land Management can’t just say, ‘Don’t worry, we’ll fix it at a later stage.’ Not when there’s evidence in the record that shows they haven’t been fixing it.”

In the News: CNN March 28, 2024

Biden administration strengthens Endangered Species Act protections weakened under Trump

Drew Caputo, VP of Litigation for Lands, and Wildlife, Oceans: “There’s a climate crisis and there’s also a biodiversity crisis. I think a lot of people think the climate crisis is the main driver of the biodiversity crisis — that’s not true. It’s habitat destruction.”

page March 13, 2024

Our Board of Trustees

Earthjustice’s work is supported and guided by our Board of Trustees.

(James Olstein for Earthjustice)
feature February 28, 2024

Right To Zero: Building a Zero-emissions Future

We’re creating a zero-emissions reality from coast to coast.

Lau'ipala (yellow tang fish) swim in a coral reef off the island of Lānaʻi, Hawaii. Reefs are essential to biodiversity, with 25% of all marine species found in, on, or near
them. Healthy reefs also facilitate subsistence and commercial fishing, and they protect people from storm surges and floods, absorbing up to 97% of a shorebound wave’s energy. Around a billion people benefit from reefs. (M Swiet Productions / Getty Images)
feature March 14, 2024

Ocean Biodiversity

Ocean ecosystems are essential to our world, and thankfully, we can still chart a new path forward to protect them.

In the News: KRBD February 27, 2024

Alaska Tribes accuse Canada of human rights violations, request international hearing on mining

Mae Manupipatpong, Attorney, International Program: “Toxic water pollution doesn’t stop at the Canadian border. And human rights obligations don’t either.”

View of the Tulsequah River, looking east towards the confluence with Taku River.
(Photo courtesy of Chris Miller / Trout Unlimited)
Press Release February 19, 2024

Alaska Tribes facing BC mining threat ask for international hearing

SEITC briefs the Inter-American Commission for Human Rights on Canada’s violations

The Hillcrest neighborhood, near “Refinery Row” in Corpus Christi, TX. (Eddie Seal for Earthjustice)
Press Release February 12, 2024

Corpus Christi Civil Rights and Fair Housing Complaint Referred to U.S. Department of Justice

An important step towards justice for a historically Black neighborhood

Homes are adjacent to a Shell refinery in Norco, Louisiana. (Brad Zweerink / Earthjustice)
Press Release January 23, 2024

Federal Court Deals Major Blow to Environmental Civil Rights Enforcement

U.S. District Court for the Western District of Louisiana ruling restricts EPA and DOJ from protecting Louisiana communities from disparate environmental impacts

Rice's whale — a new species of whale recognized in 2021, previously known as a subpopulation of Bryde's whale, endemic to the Gulf of Mexico.
(NOAA Fisheries)
From the Experts January 4, 2024

Gulf Whale: Species in the Spotlight

The federal National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has added the critically endangered Gulf of Mexico Rice’s whale to a de facto extinction watchlist. But we still need to do more to protect the species.

In the News: KRIS TV February 14, 2024

Corpus Christi Desalination: DOJ to review civil rights complaint

Erin Gaines, Attorney, Fossil Fuels Program: “The inner harbor desalination plant, which would be located in the Hillcrest, is just the latest example of this long-standing pattern of discrimination.”

An illustration of how a heat pump works (Yale Climate Connections - CC BY-NC-ND 2.5 DEED)
From the Experts February 26, 2024

Washington’s Future is Bright as it Leads the Charge to Electrify Buildings

Washington demonstrates legal pathways for states and local governments seeking to transition buildings off fossil fuels to clean, safe electricity.

Press Release January 12, 2024

Groups File Amicus Brief to Defend Right to Access Public Land Via Corner Crossing

Tenth Circuit case could confirm public’s right to access millions of acres of public land

document February 12, 2024

Corpus Christi Civil Rights and Fair Housing Complaint: Referral to U.S. Department of Justice

Letter to city officials on a complaint under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act and the Fair Housing Act against the City of Corpus Christi, Texas for the proposed development of a desalination plant in a historically Black neighborhood being referred to the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ).

Unuk River is one of the transboundary watersheds of southeast Alaska. (USGS)
Press Release January 30, 2024

Alaska Native Tribes Press B.C. for Rights Amid Reckless Gold Rush

Tlingit Tribes originating along the Unuk River want a say in risky mining proposals