Environmental Defense Fund

A little history lesson...  Back in the 1960s the pesticide DDT was widely used. And it was poisoning osprey and other birds. So, a couple of scientists teamed up with a lawyer and took the case for banning DDT to court. It was unheard of back then. But it was vital to address the harms of DDT and enforce the law. The court banned DDT use in Long Island. And the two scientists and their lawyer formed Environmental Defense Fund. A few years later EDF played a pivotal role in securing a nationwide DDT ban.  So why the trip down memory lane?  Because courts have a duty to respect and enforce the laws ensuring people and the environment are safe. But recent SCOTUS rulings have made lots of us question whether the highest court in the U.S. is taking that duty seriously. Last week SCOTUS issued several rulings that could put the health, safety and even lives of millions of Americans at risk. EDF was involved in two of those cases. In both, the court sided with fossil fuel interests and other major polluters at the expense of people and the planet. EDF will keep working to ensure clean air, clean water, and a safe climate, and to ensure all people can thrive free from the scourge of pollution. Because justice is based on the principle that we all have a responsibility to each other. And powerful polluters shouldn’t be allowed to litigate their way out of it.   Read more about these rulings here: https://lnkd.in/e6QgazpJ And here: https://lnkd.in/eMwyf3S3 

The shipping sector’s race to net zero is on, driven by ambitious #GHG emissions reduction targets! ⚓📉 But the transition to green shipping will require capital investments: Fleet transition could cost $8bn to $28bn per year, with new fuel infrastructure costing an additional $28 bn to $90 bn. European banks, as leading financiers of the maritime industry, have a pivotal role to play in facilitating this transition by accelerating funding for green shipping initiatives. Understanding the key barriers to shipping transition finance is critical to overcoming them with our NEW report. We explore these challenges and how to address them, such as: ✅ Availability of clean fuels. ✅ Alignment with banks’ green finance ambitions. ✅ Financing costs for green vessels. See the full report: https://lnkd.in/euae8W8p 🔎 Bonus Opportunity: Join us for this Thursday, 27 June at 1600 CEST for a free #LCAW2024 webinar on financing shipping’s green transition! Speakers will provide insights from the paper: https://lnkd.in/dEZXRiHa

For more than 50 years, EDF championed strong environmental and public health protections in courts across the U.S. — and we’re staying the course. Our Vickie Patton takes us back to some of our most consequential legal battles.

BREAKING: A bombshell SCOTUS decision could make it easier for polluters to harm millions of people. The court’s extreme supermajority has overturned the Chevron Doctrine, an essential legal principle the country depends on to ensure clean air, clean water, food safety and more.  Investigative reporting revealed industry forces responsible for extensive pollution are behind the cases in this ruling. We can’t let them win. Join us in the fight to defend America’s environmental wins today!  EDF.org/Z6uH 

A bracing look inside the sausage-making factory of state-level financial assurance reform efforts from ProPublica, with a focus on New Mexico. I continue to believe that we will only solve the orphan well problem by working collaboratively across stakeholder groups -- I like to think that all involved (including industry) agree that oil and gas wells ought to be properly plugged and remediated at the end of their useful lives by their operators, as is required by law in all states. It's mostly a function of the details, and especially where to assign plugging burdens when operators have not saved sufficient resources to cover closure of their wells. The Interstate Oil and Gas Compact Commission, which is referenced in the article, is the premier venue where state oil and gas regulators can (and do) share leading practices for orphan well management and prevention -- the issue has been a top topic of conversation at IOGCC for years. Regulators by and large know what needs to be done to solve this problem, but the political will ultimately needs to come from Governors and state legislatures via voters: https://lnkd.in/eEtWasGz

Throwback Thursday: 20 Years at EDF Well, it’s official: I have worked at EDF for a generation. OK, maybe not in the literal sense but 20 years constitutes a biological generation, so I think it counts. And in today’s workforce, where people tend to switch employers every couple of years, maybe even more so. Last night someone asked if I liked being at EDF. I said I’ve been with the organization for 20 years and he rightfully noted that I hadn’t answered the question. Given another opportunity I replied: I make this choice every day, and so far, it’s the right one. Let me explain... I’m in the privileged position of getting to choose my professional circumstances. And I consider and reevaluate that choice every day, because professional privilege comes with real responsibility. I need to be confident I'm doing the most good with my time in the workforce. And EDF has consistently checked all the boxes. Over the past 20 years, I've contributed to remarkable and tangible improvements for people and the planet. I’m so proud of our work raising awareness on the urgency of addressing methane pollution to slow global warming; how we’ve used science to bridge difficult geopolitical boundaries and partisan divides; how we’ve shaped the climate and sustainability imperative for companies large and small so that climate action makes business sense. I’m personally thankful for the opportunity I had working with colleagues and partners to transform U.S. fisheries from collapse to amongst the best managed in the world, improving livelihoods and ocean health. EDF has established a powerful global platform that delivers results, and I get to cultivate and contribute to its effectiveness every day. But impact isn't the only reason I stay. Two other factors weigh in my choice: people and support. EDFers often tell me they came for the mission and stay for the people. And I would say the same. I have so much joy and satisfaction being around my colleagues—some of the smartest, most creative, caring, and committed people I've had the pleasure to know. What you want more than anything when leading an organization is to know you can rely on your closest colleagues to have excellent judgement in head and heart. EDF certainly checks that box. But the past 20 years haven't always been easy, I got married, had two kids, expanded to a 3-generation family in one residence. And most notably, suffered through diagnosis and treatment of my daughter’s rare brain cancer, and the aftermath of chemotherapy in an infant’s brain. EDF and its people supported me and my family at every step of that unimaginable path. When the going gets tough, you want to know that your employer has your back. Third—and potentially most important—box ticked. I won't claim EDF is without challenges and warts. But the wisdom from 20 years of challenges and opportunities shows you what matters most. Thank you to my EDF friends and colleagues for making this a journey to remember.

We face a triple crisis: climate change, air pollution, and biodiversity loss. As the international community mobilizes to face these issues, several new funds have been set up to provide urgently needed money to fuel action that protects both people and nature. As they begin their work, these funds have the potential to forge new partnerships that bridge the gap between climate and biodiversity finance, rallying diverse actors toward a shared goal: safeguarding and restoring our planet. In the race against climate change, we cannot afford to further fragment our collective global efforts. We need to maximize the potential of every dollar to power the collaboartion needed to tackle all 3 crises at once. Read more about collaboration through climate finance in a new blog from EDF's Juan Pablo Hoffmaister and Zach Cohen: https://lnkd.in/evwGFssr

New EDF pricing report and analysis on jurisdictional REDD+, designed for tropical forest countries, forecast carbon credit prices to reach $15 by 2028. Read the report by David McLaughlin and Dylan McCall-Landry: https://lnkd.in/eaEgVgKZ

Overturning the Chevron Doctrine would have damaging consequences for people across the U.S. But we still have a major opportunity to fight for the future of our planet. EDF's Vickie Patton tells Molly Jong-Fast why it’s especially crucial for Americans to show up to this fall’s election.

When bad actors crop up to spread disinformation about clean energy, they’re not just misleading the public, they’re stalling essential progress. Tune in as our Nicholas Glover tells Molly Jong-Fast how fake grassroots groups did just that in New Jersey. More: https://lnkd.in/gnhdRFi2