Access to Justice Land and Environmental Advocates Need to Protect us from Climate Change

From the coast of Gujarat, India to the Gola Forest of Sierra Leone, communities have been able to bravely use the law to fight off air pollution and protect forests. As the world teeters towards devastating climate impacts, the efforts of communities advocating for their own land and environmental justice keep us all safer. Despite the importance of this critical work, land and environmental justice defenders face huge obstacles to justice from those who want to maintain the status quo.

In this session, we will provide examples of how governments, companies, and advocates can create avenues for justice for land and environmental justice defenders who are seeking to protect us from climate change. The speakers will begin in a facilitated group discussion and then we will break out into small working groups along the following topics:

Enshrining the rights for community decision making in law
Trusting community monitoring/groundtruthing
Investing in environmentally harmed or vulnerable communities.
Protecting the defenders

Speakers: Buawah Jobo Samba, Gabriel Gustavo Rocha Belloni, Grizelda Mayo-Anda, Atieno Odhiambo

#WorldJusticeForum