With an Executive Order President Biden can take meaningful action to eliminate shipping emissions and advance environmental justice

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WASHINGTON, DC [September 28, 2023] — In a letter sent to President Biden on World Maritime Day, 32 organizations called for an Executive Order to decarbonize maritime shipping. The Biden administration has already made significant commitments to eliminate emissions from the shipping industry, as well as to accelerate the development of zero-emission fuels and technologies … Read more

Our Top 5 of 2021

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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

Help Grassroots Heroes Fight Toxic Pollution in China

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I first met Ding Jie a decade ago when she was a college graduate taking on heavy polluters in the big city. Together we toured the city of Wuhu, located west of Shanghai on the Yangtze River in southern Anhui Province. Making our way through stagnant air and past construction rubble and urban decay, I … Read more

In solidarity with Black Lives Matter

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Pacific Environment’s staff and leadership express solidarity with protesters in the Bay Area and everywhere who have taken to the streets over the murder of George Floyd by a police officer who was supposed to protect people. Floyd’s murder, coupled with those of Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, Nina Pop, and Tony McDade, as well as the racist targeting of … Read more

“No Delays or Softening of Climate Action at California Ports,” Pacific Environment Tells State Authorities

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Pacific Environment and Environmental Defense Fund today urge the State of California to move forward overdue climate mitigation and public health measures in California ports. Specifically, we call on the California Environmental Protection Agency and the California Air Resources Board to reject several proposals we’ve become aware of asking for delays or roll backs in … Read more

Alaska Natives Lead Conversation Toward a Just Transition

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A recent Alaska Native-led statewide gathering in Fairbanks—Kohtr’elneyh Remembering Forward: A Strategic Framework for a Just Transition—explored a hopeful and provocative approach to transforming Alaska’s oil-dependent extractive economy to one that is ecologically sustainable, equitable, and just. The summit centered on learning from the traditional knowledge of Indigenous peoples—living in balance with the land, adapting … Read more

Our Top 5 of 2019

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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

Lake Baikal Loses a Critical Champion

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Ecologist and indigenous activist Sergei Shapkhaev, who galvanized popular support for the world’s largest freshwater lake and protected it from industrial activities, has died in his native Buryatia in southern Siberia at age 71. Longtime friend and fellow activist Anatoly Lebedev says Sergei was “a symbol, an omen, a shamanic totem of Lake Baikal.” Inspiring … Read more

NEWS FROM THE FIELD: The Birth of Russia’s Anti-Coal Movement

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Not Sitting on the Fence: A Coal Check-in with Vladimir Slivyak of Ecodefense! The people who live near Berezovsky coal mine are fed up. On February 17, local citizens took to the streets near the Siberian town of Novokuznetsk in the heart of Russia’s famed Kuzbass region, one of the largest coal mining areas in the world. For 10 hours, about 80 people blocked the road to the Berezovsky open-pit coal mine. Five protesters … Read more

What I’m Fighting for in the Arctic

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One of my most cherished gifts given to me is a beautiful sealskin vest made by my grandmother. She was from St. Lawrence Island in the northern Bering Sea between Russia and Alaska. There, life continues to be sustained by our traditions of subsistence, with blessed wildlife that has nourished our people for thousands of … Read more

Surprisingly, a Lot to Be Thankful for in 2017

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I’m sad about—and definitely resisting—the Trump administration’s attack on the environment, social justice, and the rule of law in the United States. But I also have a tremendous amount to be thankful for this year, and I want to share some of my thoughts with you. Because of the support of people like you, Pacific Environment … Read more

Courage Trumps Fear

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Aleksei Gribkov defies government pressure and wins landmark legal victory for Russia’s environmental movement. Aleksei Gribkov did not back down when Russia’s state security agencies harassed him and his organization, the Gebler Ecological Society, to drop a lawsuit that ended up becoming a landmark victory for Russia’s environmental movement. Aleksei’s deep love for Altai’s wilderness, … Read more

Hopeful News for Arctic Protection As We Head Into 2017

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As 2016 ends and we look ahead to the challenges of 2017, I want to pause for a minute and share with you some encouraging news for the future of the Arctic. Pacific Environment has been campaigning for a fossil fuel-free Arctic for nearly a decade, together with many environmental groups, community allies and supporters … Read more

Protecting Russian Rivers from Illegal Mining

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People have been searching for gold for thousands of years. It’s an enduring dream that anyone can strike it rich by sieving river mud in search of that big gold nugget that will change their life. Few ever imagine the terrible consequences of mining rivers for gold. In the Altai region in southern Siberia, gold … Read more

Mobilizing Chinese Citizens to Clean Up Pollution

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Imagine: A local villager admitting that she accepted a color TV from the owner of a factory that is polluting a nearby river. Environmental officials questioning pollution data presented by a local environmental group, shouting, “Where does your data come from? Why is this the first time we are seeing this?” Similar incidents happen all … Read more