How we’re making a difference at ClientEarth USA
Big corporate polluters are raking in billions at the expense of our health, our climate and our planet’s wildlife. We’re committed to changing that.
Using our unique expertise, we’re driving systemic change to hold corporate and financial institutions accountable for environmental harm and to change their behavior in the long-term to ensure a future with clean air, clean water and a safe climate for everyone.
Here’s how we’re doing it:
What we’re achieving
We’re using the law to protect people and the planet. So far, we’ve:
- Succeeded in bringing legal action to hold oil and gas corporations accountable for pollution caused by orphaned oil wells in Colorado. If successful, our case will mean corporations have to take responsibility for cleaning up these wells so that they don’t pollute the air, soil and water around them long after they stop producing.
- Joined forces with NRDC to raise our collective concerns about the bank MUFG’s role as a financial advisor to Mexico Pacific on their proposed Saguaro Energia Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) terminal in the UNESCO site in the Gulf of California.
- Mobilized thousands of people to petition JPMorgan Chase and Santander Bank to stop backing this disastrous (LNG) terminal project that would harm whales, endangered porpoises, and thousands of other animals that live in the precious ecosystem in the Gulf of California.
- Filed a case against Thermo Fisher Scientific which could set a legal precedent for workers across the U.S. having a right to demand fossil-free retirement options. If successful, this case could have a huge impact on the financing of polluting oil companies.
And there’s so much more to come. Our expert team is currently working on over a dozen high impact, US focused cases to hold American corporations accountable for environmental harm and destruction.
Recent updates
ClientEarth USA attorney Matthew French on why this work matters
Legal systems shape the world around us - from the behavior of governments and businesses to the systems of energy, transport and agriculture that we all rely on. And because the law underpins our social structure, it's one of our most effective levers to enact more permanent change that goes beyond short-term election cycles.
That’s why it’s so important to me to use the law to protect the planet. We need innovation and courage in our solutions to the climate and environmental crises. I wanted to work for ClientEarth USA because using the law to hold corporations accountable means making a lasting difference and protecting people and the planet for generations to come.