In this special update episode of People Places Planet, host Dara Albrecht revisits the landmark youth-led climate case, Held v. State of Montana, after the Montana Supreme Court's ruling in December 2024. Building on the original September 2023 episode, ELI Senior Attorney and Director of the Climate Judiciary Project Helene Krasnoff joins returning ELI Staff Attorney Jarryd Page in conversation with Dara to discuss the Montana Supreme Court's recent decision affirming the trial court’s ruling in favor of the youth plaintiffs. The episode explores the legal significance of the ruling, how Montana agencies are beginning to incorporate climate considerations into environmental reviews, and the broader implications for climate litigation nationwide. Stay tuned after the update to hear the original episode featuring former host Sarah Backer, Jarryd Page, and Science and Policy Analyst John Doherty for foundational insights into the case.
The International Boundary and Water Commission (IBWC) plays a crucial role in managing U.S.-Mexico border water resources, overseeing treaties that impact millions of people. In this episode of People Places Planet, Commissioner Maria Elena Giner, a civil engineer and veteran in border environmental issues, joins host Dara Albrecht to discuss the IBWC's efforts to address challenges like water scarcity, infrastructure needs, and binational cooperation. They explore groundbreaking agreements like Minute 331, which brings greater predictability to water deliveries from Mexico, and the IBWC's strategies for building climate resilience. This episode provides insight into how legal frameworks, technical expertise, and cross-border collaboration are driving solutions to complex water management challenges in border communities.
Data centers supporting artificial intelligence consume staggering amounts of electricity, with their energy demands projected to potentially account for up to 10% of total U.S. electricity consumption by 2030—posing both challenges and opportunities for clean energy goals. In this episode of People Places Planet, Jed Anderson, CEO and founder of EnviroAI, and Bob Sussman, a seasoned environmental lawyer and former senior EPA official, join host Dara Albrecht to explore the intersection of AI and the environment. They discuss how AI is transforming environmental protection, from enabling real-time regulatory improvements to empowering under-resourced communities. The conversation also examines the risks posed by AI's energy consumption and its role in climate change, as well as the potential for AI to revolutionize environmental law and sustainability efforts.
More than 35 states have introduced or drafted environmental justice laws as of 2023, and 14 of those states have implemented at least 21 new laws focused on environmental justice. In this episode of People Places Planet, ELI's Environmental Justice Law Clerk, Juliette Stanley, joins host Dara Albrecht to discuss environmental justice policies on the state level, and how they might be impacting change nationwide. They review the current landscape of environmental justice on the national and state levels and explore how past events shape current actions of states on this issue.
At the Environmental Law Institute, interns have the opportunity to develop independent research projects based off their interests. In this episode of the People Places Planet Podcast, ELI’s summer interns, Sarah Cheung and Aneeza Ahmad, join host Dara Albrecht to share more about who they are, their independent research on the 30x30 Initiative in California and on Environmental Justice in the Farm Bill, and lessons they've taken from their time at ELI.
In this week’s episode of People Places Planet Podcast, three of ELI's four outgoing Research Associates (Sarah Backer, Ella Stack, and Tori Rickman) sit down with host Dara Albrecht to reflect on their experiences as Research Associates. The three share who they are, what brought them to ELI, the research projects they worked on, and the lessons they will take with them moving forward.
Many municipal buildings, schools, hospitals, restaurants, and workplace cafeterias do not offer plant-based entrees. Making plant-based meals the default or even simply offering a plant-based option can help to reduce food-related emissions. In this episode, hosts Sarah Backer and Linda Breggin explore the rang of actions in municipal climate action plans aimed at increasing the availability of plant-based proteins. Hear from Rachel Atcheson about how New York City is reducing their emissions while saving on food costs, from Angela Baucom on how Austin is promoting food equity, and from Katie Cantrell on the different behavioral science strategies local governments can use to reduce food-related emissions.
This podcast was created in conjunction with ELI’s Toolkit for Incorporating Plant-Based Protein Measures in Municipal Climate Action Plans.