Pursuing Environmental Justice: Obstacles and Opportunities - Lessons from the Field

This article argues that the clinic‘s clients and similarly situated grassroots groups pursue litigation because the laws do not adequately protect them from pollution at the neighborhood level. Environmental lawsuits filed by such groups result from the conclusion that there is too much pollution in the neighborhood—there is elevated background pollution, violations of environmental laws contribute to excess pollution, and litigation is one of the few ways to redress the distributive injustice resulting from pollution created by multiple sources

Environmental Law and Justice Clinic Fall 2013 Report

The Environmental Law and Justice Clinic at Golden Gate University School of Law provides legal and technical assistance to communities that suffer the most from pollution. We focus on communities in California, although some projects address pollution reduction at the national level. Three core areas dominated our efforts this year: clean drinking water for low-income communities, clean energy for California, and air pollution reduction. In addition, we provided legal consulting to numerous organizations that sought our specialized expertise in clean air, energy, and environmental justice strategy

Environmental Law and Justice Clinic Fall 2012 Report

Founded in 1994, the Environmental Law and Justice Clinic serves the dual mission of training law students to be effective and ethical advocates and assisting low-income communities and communities of color to reduce the disparities of pollution. The Clinic is staffed by ten to twelve law students, two full-time professors, and a Graduate Fellow. The State Bar certifies the law students to perform lawyerly tasks under the supervision of their professors. The Clinic’s 2012 work focused primarily on advocating for safe drinking water, ensuring a renewable energy future, and reducing the disparities of air pollution. This Fall 2012 report highlights some of our work and accomplishments

Environmental Law and Justice Clinic 2015-2016 Report

Founded in 1994 in consultation with community leaders, the Clinic serves as a training ground for the next generation of social justice advocates and provides critical legal services to under-served communities throughout California and beyond. As one of the first law clinics in the United States to prioritize environmental justice, the Clinic has been widely recognized as a provider of high quality pro bono legal support to communities suffering the most from pollution. In its third decade of service, the Clinic has focused particular attention on clean drinking water for low-income communities and clean energy for California, while continuing its celebrated work in air pollution reduction. Another area in which the Clinic has been active this past year is Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964: working to ensure that protected groups are fairly treated is both exciting to our students and critical to our clients who have long made the connection between civil rights and environmental benefits and harms. In addition to delivering direct services in these core areas, we provided consulting services to numerous organizations fighting to create a better environment

Brief of Amici Curiae - Chamber of Commerce v EPA

BRIEF OF AMICI CURIAE CLIMATE SCIENTISTS JAMES HANSEN, MARK JACOBSON, MICHAEL KLEEMAN, BENJAMIN SANTER, AND JAMES ZACHOS IN SUPPORT OF RESPONDENT ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

Recognizing the Link Among Climate Change, Food, and Poverty

The United States must begin to meet in earnest the challenges that climate change poses to adequate nutrition for the poor and the hungry. Climate change is profoundly affecting agriculture and is expected to continue to do so, resulting in sometimes-sharp food-price fluctuations to which our government at all levels is unprepared to respond. While those with resources may be able to cope with price volatility, those who are already undernourished are less able without government programs nimbly responding to fluctuations in food prices. Compounding the problem for U.S. households, the predicted cost increases of other necessities such as energy will leave low-income and underfed families with even less income to feed themselves. Governments, antipoverty and environmental advocates, and foundations must plan now to meet this enormous and complex challenge

Environmental Law and Justice Clinic Fall 2014 Report

The Clinic provides legal and technical assistance to communities that bear a disproportionate pollution burden while enjoying fewer of the benefits and basic amenities such as clean drinking water and open space. We focus on communities in California, although some projects address pollution reduction at the national level. Three core areas continued to dominate our efforts in the last year: clean drinking water for low-income communities, clean energy for California, and air pollution reduction. We also provided legal consulting to numerous organizations that sought our specialized expertise in the areas of clean air, energy, and environmental justice strategy

Environmental Law and Justice Clinic Fall 2012 Report

Founded in 1994, the Environmental Law and Justice Clinic serves the dual mission of training law students to be effective and ethical advocates and assisting low-income communities and communities of color to reduce the disparities of pollution. The Clinic is staffed by ten to twelve law students, two full-time professors, and a Graduate Fellow. The State Bar certifies the law students to perform lawyerly tasks under the supervision of their professors. The Clinic’s 2012 work focused primarily on advocating for safe drinking water, ensuring a renewable energy future, and reducing the disparities of air pollution. This Fall 2012 report highlights some of our work and accomplishments

Looking Toward Restorative Justice for Redlined Communities Displaced by Eco-Gentrification

MJEAL chose to publish Helen Kang’s piece, Looking Toward Restorative Justice for Redlined Communities Displaced by Eco-Gentrification, because it offers a unique analytic approach for analyzing the roots of environmental racism and the appropriate tools to help rectify it. She offers an argument for why restorative justice needs to be the framework and explains how we can accomplish this in the context of a whole government solution. MJEAL is excited to offer what will be an influential approach for environmental restorative justice to the broader activist and academic community