Law is one of those fields where you can use your skills in one of two ways: for good or for evil. And with climate chaos and environmental damage growing worse and worse, there are fortunately many environmental law organizations out there fighting for what's right — all without charging clients. So, we've rounded up a mix of U.S.
A national wetlands award for local stewardship will be issued to Scott Fisher, Ph.D., director of ʻĀina Stewardship at Hawai‘i Land Trust. The Environmental Law Institute will issue awards to a total of six winners nationwide to individuals who have excelled in wetlands protection, restoration, and education. Environmental Law Institute has recognized more than 200 individuals since the awards were established in 1989…
A new toolkit outlining the gold standard for state policy to reduce food loss and waste has just been released by the Zero Food Waste Coalition, of which NRDC is a founding member. “Achieving Zero Food Waste: A State Policy Toolkit” documents the necessary components of more than a dozen state policies related to food waste reduction, explains their connection to federal law, gives examples of successful laws across the country, and includes a model for each policy which can be picked up by legislators and changemakers with minimal alterations...
A Montana judge on Friday said a climate change lawsuit from young people challenging the state’s pro-fossil fuel policies will proceed to trial despite efforts by the state to derail the case. The upcoming trial in Helena would be the first of its kind in the United States, according to experts in climate law who said the nation is lagging behind the rest of the world in terms of climate litigation. However, because of prior rulings that limited the scope of the Montana case, a victory for the plaintiffs would not automatically alter the state’s regulation of fossil fuels. . . .
A U.S. judge has said a climate change lawsuit filed by young people challenging Montana's pro-fossil fuel policies will go to trial despite the state's efforts to derail the case. . . .
In 2011, the Marshall Islands and Palau sought to put a climate case before the International Court of Justice in The Hague. It failed to gain enough traction. Why it matters: On Wednesday, the UN General Assembly took the extraordinary step of adopting, by consensus, a resolution that would do just that. It's asking the court for an advisory opinion laying out what countries' obligations are to protect the climate in order to secure human rights. . . .
The small Pacific island country of Vanuatu is poised to gain UN approval to seek an unprecedented legal opinion on what obligation countries have to combat climate change. Why it matters: Vanuatu's resolution would give the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague a chance to weigh in on potential consequences for nations that have caused much of global warming to date. . . .
