Despite global mandate, no plastic treaty yet 

Last week in Busan, Republic of Korea, world leaders met to once again try to come to agreement over a treaty to address the critical global challenge of plastic pollution. Though this was to be the fifth and final negotiation, delegates failed to prepare a treaty ready for signature. Instead, another meeting will be held … Read more

Insights from COP16: Advancing global marine conservation

Pacific Environment’s Marine team just returned from the 16th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP16) in Cali, Colombia, where we advocated for stronger biodiversity efforts across Southeast Asia — a region we’ve been dedicated to since 2016. This event reaffirmed our commitment to safeguarding the world’s most diverse marine areas and … Read more

Climate action in Long Beach: A personal story

Cristhian Tapia-Delgado shares his personal journey from growing up in Long Beach to becoming a passionate advocate for environmental justice and clean air in frontline communities impacted by port pollution.

Maritime shipping regulation at MEPC82

In London, the International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) 82nd Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC82) recently concluded, marking a significant gathering to discuss the regulation of maritime shipping. Here’s a comprehensive overview of the key developments from the event. What happened at MEPC82?  Youth climate advocates take the stage For the first time in the history of … Read more

Our Top 7 of 2022

We had a great year with many important wins. But none of this would have been possible without our supporters. This support helps Pacific Environment collaborate with brave grassroots leaders to fight climate change, defend the oceans, protect wildlife, build just societies and move beyond fossil fuels toward a green economy.  Our teams coordinate ambitious … Read more

Our Top 5 of 2021

In 2021, Pacific Environment partnered with community leaders to fight climate change, protect the oceans, build just societies, and move beyond fossil fuels toward a green economy. I’m proud of the historical wins we and local activists achieved this year. And I hope you are, too, because we couldn’t do what we do without the … Read more

Inuit Partners Gain First-ever Seat at UN Shipping Body

What a week. Between the world’s premier UN Climate Conference “COP26” and the global shipping crisis, Team Pacific Environment has been hard at work. What’s more, Indigenous partners just won a first-ever seat at the United Nations’ shipping body! Earlier this week, the Inuit Circumpolar Council (ICC) became the first Indigenous Organization to gain International … Read more

You Made a Difference in 2020

We support community leaders to fight climate change, protect the oceans, build just societies, and move away from fossil fuels toward a green economy. With your help, over the past year we supported local partners with more than $430,000 in grants, expert trainings and skill-building workshops, as well as travel stipends to advocate for change at international … Read more

Big Oil’s Plan B: More Plastic

Big Oil is racing to make more plastic as demand for fossil fuel energy is plummeting. Fossil fuels are the core element in the production of plastics. Faced with falling profits from dirty energy use, the industry is proposing massive expansion of the petrochemical production of plastics—drowning our communities and oceans in plastic trash. Our … Read more

This is an Emergency!

Amid the crises we have been struggling with in 2020, in our communities, in our nation, and in the world, I find myself more appreciative than ever of your support. Let me share a few examples of how your contribution to Pacific Environment makes a meaningful and important difference in tackling one of our most important global emergencies: … Read more

Making “Zero Waste” Cool in Vietnam

Professor Nhan Nguyen brings his passion for reducing plastic waste into the classroom at RMIT University in Ho Chi Minh City. “Climate change and plastic pollution are the environmental issues of our time,” Nhan says. “Vietnam doesn’t contribute much to climate change, but we are a major contributor to plastic pollution. I want my students to know about these … Read more

Protecting People from Pollution—and COVID-19

While it may seem unusual for an environmental group to provide medical relief, for Zhang Jun, temporarily pivoting his organization to COVID-19 relief made sense. When the COVID-19 crisis hit China, he contacted the local government in Anhui Province (about 200 miles from the outbreak’s early epicenter in Wuhan) to offer his team’s help. Having … Read more

Help Us Take On Plastic Pollution

Did you know that more than 90% of plastic waste is never recycled? Instead, most of it is being sent to landfills and incinerators, or polluting our land and our oceans. Meet Mrs. Lan who is working on the frontlines of plastic pollution in Vietnam. Mrs. Lan picks through household trash to make her living … Read more

TAKE ACTION: Tell Wikipedia to Name Oil Spill Culprit

Remember Exxon Valdez? How about the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill? Even decades later, these man-made environmental disasters are having a lasting impact on our planet, harming people and wildlife. In popular culture and the news, we remember these catastrophic events and firmly associate them with the companies responsible. On May 29, 2020, the largest … Read more

NGOs thank U.N. Shipping Agency for Virtual Climate Talks

Today, Pacific Environment thanks the UN’s Shipping Agency for hosting virtual dialogues on rapid decarbonization rules for international shipping. The meetings were held in part due to pressure from Pacific Environment and allies  urging that the world cannot allow the COVID-19 crisis to exacerbate the climate crisis. Good technical progress made this week reveals that … Read more

Our Top 5 of 2019

With the support of activists like you, we are building people power around the Pacific Rim to fight climate change, defend the oceans, promote open and inclusive societies, and ensure a just transition to a clean energy future for all. Here are five accomplishments I’m especially proud of this year. They would not have been … Read more

Decisions in London, Impacts in the Arctic

Earlier this year, Mellisa Maktuayaq Johnson told a room full of international shipping experts in London that “the sea and the land are our store.” Most people in the audience are used to shopping at supermarkets like Safeway or Costco, so it took a moment before they grasped the implications of what they were hearing. … Read more

BREAKING: Stop Polluting the Arctic, Indigenous Leaders Tell Carnival

If you signed our petition demanding that cruise ship operator Carnival clean up its dirty ships, your voice is now being heard in the hallways of corporate power. This morning, Pacific Environment joined a delegation of Arctic Indigenous leaders and other marine and environmental experts to deliver our petition demanding that Carnival Corporation stop using … Read more