50 for 50: Level Up Your Environmental Advocacy With Earthjustice Today

On Earthjustice’s 50th anniversary, we are as determined as ever to fight for the planet and the people. With the climate crisis predicted to grow more intense, it’s never been more urgent to get involved in environmental protection efforts from our neighborhoods to the national stage.
The law is one of our strongest defenses against industries and interests that would ruin lands, waters, and communities for profit. But for real environmental progress, we also need community power on our side. That’s where you come in.
Read our explainers on key environmental issues, then use your voice on a range of policy efforts. Below, you’ll also find short films and articles about the people, places, and wildlife we’re fighting for in the courts.
We hope this collection shows the importance of this work and the part you can play in the movement toward a just and sustainable future.
7 explainers to level up your advocacy

Get to Know ‘The People’s Environmental Law’
The National Environmental Policy Act helps communities protect themselves from dangerous, rushed or poorly planned federal projects. Know it to defend it. Read more.
How Climate Change is Fueling Extreme Weather
Across the globe, extreme weather is becoming the new normal due to climate change. Read more.
Why Are Fossil Fuel Pipelines Are Bad for the Climate and Our Communities?
Over two million miles of oil and gas pipelines crisscross the country, endangering the waters, lands, and the global climate. Read more.
How Big Oil is Using Toxic Chemicals as a Lifeline
The fossil fuel industry is dying, but Big Oil refuses to go quietly. Now they’re doubling down, no matter how many lives it costs. Read more.
Why We Need the Tongass National Forest to Solve the Climate Crisis
Earthjustice is making huge progress in a decades-long fight to protect this ancient forest, one of our greatest natural defenses against climate change. Read more.
How Electric Vehicles Are Saving Lives
Electric transit and trucks are powerful climate solution, with the ability to reduce harmful emissions for everyone, not just the privileged few. Read more.
What is the Biodiversity Crisis?
Half of all plant and animal species may face extinction by the end of this century. Here’s how we can save them. Read more.
10 short films about the people and places behind our court battles
16 wildlife species we’ve sued to protect

From eagles and otters to whales and wolverines, here are just a few of the wildlife wonders Earthjustice lawsuits have saved by defending the Endangered Species Act, one of the most successful conservation laws of all time. Read more.
4 cherished monuments we’re fighting to preserve for future generations

Our national monuments are home to unique landscapes with immense cultural, scientific, and ecological value. Learn about the national monuments we’re fighting for, and how you can help ensure they’re preserved. Read more.
5 stories that bring environmental injustice into focus

Louisiana’s ‘Cancer Alley’ Is Standing Up to Big Oil
An community along the Mississippi River is uniting against the fossil fuel industry’s next big play. Read more.
The Ironbound Demands Answers After Pink Smoke Rises Over Their Community
This New Jersey community is taking on the trash incinerator that was caught burning toxic chemicals in their neighborhood. Read more.
This Michigan Community Stopped Donald Trump’s Environmental Power Grab
Decades of industrial pollution turned a once thriving Detroit-area town into a public health nightmare, but the community never gave up their fight for justice. Read more.
Tired of Backyard Sewage, a Community Demands Their Basic Human Right
One million U.S. residents lack access to basic sanitation infrastructure. These residents of this Alabama town are tired of being criminalized for it. Read more.
An Infamously Dirty River Is Coming Back to Life Thanks to Community Activism
D.C.’s Anacostia River is recovering from a legacy of pollution after decades of legal action waged by this historically Black community. Read more.
7 stories that show environmental activism starts where we live

Florida’s Waters are Rising, But So Are Its People
Residents, city leaders, and frontline workers are rallying around climate resilience strategies in the absence of federal leadership. Read more.
What It’s Like to Be Boxed in by Amazon Warehouses
Warehouse workers and communities are demanding stronger environmental health protections and increased corporate responsibility. Read more.
Young People Don’t Need a Degree to Fight for Their Future
How a Utah youth activist convinced the conservative statehouse to acknowledge the threat of climate change. Read more.
We Have to Believe We Can Change the World Drastically
How protesting forces those in power to face the injustices the system has created. Read more.
It’s Time to Say Goodbye to Household Gas
Thanks to new technology and stronger protections, a future where anyone can live in a healthy home free of gas pollutants is now more than a green dream. Read more.
She Grew Up in the Amazon, and Now She’s Fighting for Its Life
Marina Silva talks about the importance of addressing climate change in the wake of unprecedented Amazon rainforest wildfires. Read more.
None of Us Can Go it Alone if We Want to Make Big Change Possible
Climate justice activist Marcela Mulholland recounts her journey through climate grief to finding solace and solidarity with others of her generation. Read more.
One-stop hub to take action with Earthjustice
Judges and lawmakers are hearing Earthjustice in courtrooms and policy arenas. Everywhere else, they need to be hearing from you. Visit our action center or get started with some of the major opportunities below.