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Standoff in Patagonia. Photo by Denali DeGraf.

Did you know that between 2009 and 2023, about 70 percent of environmental journalists were “attacked, threatened, or pressured” while reporting on issues ranging from mining and deforestation, to climate protests and land grabs? Environmental journalism has become deadly, but it is more necessary than ever. Our small, but scrappy publication, Earth Island Journal, has never shied away from exposing the abuses of the powerful and celebrating the power of individuals to make a difference. Read about our Editor-in-Chief’s own experience of reporting from the frontlines and help the Journal support its network of reporters who bring you news about environmental issues, struggles, and movements, often at great personal risk.

Law Students for Climate Accountability (LSCA) is planning to host a New York Climate Week action on September 23, 2024, to push law firms representing fossil fuel interests to drop those clients. It is also organizing lawyers and law students to stop engaging in this kind of work and, where relevant, pressure the firms they work at from the inside. LSCA is interested in discussing any plans that other organizations have to engage in Climate Week to maximize its collective impact. If you are interested or plan to be present, please reach out to Project Director Haley Czarnek at haley@ls4ca.org.

Angel Gonzalez says participating in KIDS for the BAY’s Watershed Action Program as a fourth-grader deeply influenced his career choices. “It opened my eyes to what science looks like and how science helps us understand things about the world right in our backyard,” says Gonzalez, who went on to study botany and environmental education as a college undergrad. Today, Gonzalez serves as the garden manager and environmental educator at Urban Tilth’s Verde Partnership Garden in North Richmond, California. Read the full interview.

Earth Island Institute, represented by Cotchett, Pitre & McCarthy, received a favorable court order this week in its landmark lawsuit against major consumer goods companies, including Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, and Nestlé USA, Inc. (now Blue Triton Brands) for their role in perpetuating the plastic pollution crisis. The San Mateo County Superior Court denied the defendants’ efforts to dismiss the case and ruled that Earth Island offered sufficient facts to allow the case to proceed on the public nuisance claim. Earth Island Advocates is working in coordination with our projects Plastic Pollution Coalition, Shark Stewards, International Marine Mammal Project, and 1000 Fountains on this lawsuit. Stay tuned for more updates!

In June, AB 2552, a bill co-sponsored by Earth Island’s Raptors Are The Solution, passed through its final policy committee before heading to senate appropriations. The bill adds the remaining two anticoagulant rodenticides to the moratoriums enacted by AB 1788 and AB 1322, legislation RATS has also co-sponsored over the past four years. Anticoagulant rodenticides take a grievous toll on wildlife, including owls, hawks, eagles, bobcats, mountain lions, and many others, by causing internal bleeding or hemorrhaging of even minor wounds. You can express your support for the bill by sending a note to your California state representative.

Join Climate One for an enlightening conversation with environmental icon Jane Goodall as she comments on her life’s work and offers ideas on how we can heal our relationship with nature by self-understanding. The indefatigable Goodall is now focused on three intertwined crises: biodiversity loss, climate change, and environmental inequity. Attend in person in San Francisco or virtually. The event will take place on Monday, September 16, 2024, at 6:00 p.m. Earth Island readers can enter code: C1PARTNER for a $10 discount on tickets. Learn more.

Plastic Pollution Coalition (PPC) honors the legacies of two individuals who made indelible marks on the movement to end plastic pollution: Debbie Lee Cohen, Executive Director and Founder of Cafeteria Culture, who passed away in April, taught students how to advocate for their health with plastic-free solutions in schools and policies. Support Cafeteria Culture in her honor. Dr. Wallace “J” Nichols, marine biologist, founding member, and long-time advisor to PPC, who passed away in June, made it his mission to connect every human with their Blue Mind, and his heart-centered work has become a global movement. Support J’s Memorial Fund.