Just Earth Celebrates Three Years of Success Championing Environmental Justice
Gage Schrier, Grants Intern, The Impact Fund
Today, as the Gulf of Mexico has experienced yet another oil spill, large swaths of the West Coast are ablaze and drought stricken, and China has experienced a year’s worth of rain in one day, the world is seeing grave signs of human-caused climate destruction. Yet, litigation remains a bulwark against further damage. Community-driven lawsuits provide those fighting for their future an ever-strong tool in their arsenal.
In the three years since the creation of Just Earth, the need for funding for environmental justice has only increased. After receiving generous seed funding from the Mosaic collaborative, Just Earth is poised for the next chapter. As of today, Just Earth has awarded more than $500,000 by way of 26 recoverable grants.
Comprising less than 5% of the world's population, indigenous people protect 80% of global biodiversity.
With each of our grants, we aim to effect positive change by funding environmental justice litigation: environmental cases that dually aim to empower and cultivate justice for Indigenous and other underserved communities. All too often, environmental racism and discrimination on the basis of class and race are linked with significant ecological harm. That is unjust, and therefore deserves our funding. However, this is not the sole reason for our investment: those who suffer the most are often those who encounter the greatest challenges in working towards ending the systems that harm them. This makes these communities a strategic investment in everyone’s future. Indigenous peoples manage over one-quarter of all the world's land and protect around 80% of global biodiversity. Thus, they are counted among the staunchest defenders of the climate globally. Supporting them is not only just—it is wise.
Here are some recent cases we have supported that exemplify Just Earth’s mission:
The residents of Martin County in Kentucky said "enough" to expensive unsafe drinking water.
In British Columbia, we are supporting the Gitxaala Nation in their challenge to the current policy in Canada that allows companies to undertake exploratory work for minerals without consulting with the Indigenous peoples who claim the land and depend on its continued prosperity for their livelihoods.
In KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, we supported the Global Environmental Trust as they brought a case to the South African Supreme Court of Appeal suing a coal mining company that operates with impunity from environmental regulations and reviews in a rural, impoverished Zulu community.
In Kentucky, we are supporting Martin County Concerned Citizens as they fight increases in the price of water despite minimal repairs to water infrastructure that loses 70% of its load in transit from source to consumer. Further, 40% of Martin County residents make less than $25,000 per year, and 92% feel they must use bottled water for drinking. Rising prices for undrinkable water results in an unsustainable situation requiring action.
Just Earth, at just three years old, is still young, and yet we are seeing strong initial results:
Bayou City Waterkeepers' analysis confirmed that lower-income communities and communities of color were “most likely to feel the consequences of Houston’s long-running struggle with sewer overflows.”
Recently, after Bayou City Waterkeeper uncovered years of past violations of the Clean Water Act in Houston, the city was forced into a historic settlement requiring Houston to invest $2 billion into the city’s sewage system to remedy broken infrastructure that had polluted local bayous, creeks, parks, and even school playgrounds. The organization confirmed via further analysis that the residents in the areas affected the most were, in fact, people of color. So, this settlement addresses environmental racism in conjunction with ecological damage.
In Kern County, California, the Clean Water Fund has successfully taken fossil fuel companies to court over their use of unlined pits to store wastewater from oil and gas production. After the CLF filed suit under California’s Proposition 65, the Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act, the companies involved agreed to a settlement that effectively shut down the pits in their current iteration. This case was of critical importance as known carcinogenic chemicals like benzene were shown to have seeped out of the pits and reached the regional aquifers relied on by the low income, predominantly Latinx community that lives nearby.
As of today, Just Earth has awarded more than $500,000 by way of 26 recoverable grants.
As evidenced by the news today of the challenges facing our planet and our communities, this work has never been more important. We are grateful for the opportunity our partner organizations and funders have given us to seek environmental justice. In the three years since Just Earth’s founding, we have cultivated a network of lawyers, organizations, and communities that we look to continue to grow and help to thrive. We look forward to our next chance to add to this network during our next grant cycle, empowering those best suited to solve systemic problems affecting the environment.
Applicants may apply through our regular application process. Letters of inquiry are now being accepted and will be reviewed on a quarterly basis. Our next LOI deadline is October 5, 2021. For more information, click here or email Shayla Chandler, Grant Program Associate.