Students for International Environmental Law (SIEL) - Lewis & Clark

05/20/2025

Professor Erica Lyman, Director of the Global Law Alliance for Animals and the Environment (GLA) Clinic at Lewis & Clark Law School will be discussing a critical gap in wildlife trade laws—one that leaves nationally-protected, non-CITES-listed species vulnerable to exploitation - on an upcoming panel hosted during the 34th session of the UN Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice (CCPCJ)

The panel, "Illegally Sourced, Legally Traded: the Case for Stronger IWT Legislation," will discuss the research on the trade of illegally sourced species from Latin America to Europe and national legal best practices to help countries close this gap and prevent trafficked species from entering their markets.

Check out the details below to listen in:

🗓 May 22, 13:00–14:00 CEST
💻 To join online: https://www.linkedin.com/events/illegallysourced-legallytraded-7329107943524659202/

This event is co-hosted by Peru, IFAW and the Wildlife Conservation Society.

12/09/2021

court shuts down plans citing rights of nature

In a landmark ruling last week Ecuador’s Constitutional Court said plans to mine for copper and gold in a protected cloud forest were unconstitutional and violate the rights of nature. The case involved mining permits that were issued in Los Cedros — a ...

10/25/2021

set to overtake coal in total emissions.

10/23/2021

UN Aarhus Convention Members vote to suspend Belarus’s rights due to its persecution of environment defenders

Belarus is to have its rights and privileges under a major international treaty suspended for persecuting environmental defenders and shutting down green NGOs. A high-level summit of parties to Aarhus Convention on environmental rights on October 21, chastised the state for liquidating one of its ol...

10/19/2021

Fantastic news from this month. Many have been working for decades to get this recognized.

The UN Human Rights Council now recognizes the human right to a healthy environment.

(Unfortunately though the US didn’t support)

The U.N. Human Rights Council on Friday recognised access to a clean and healthy environment as a fundamental right, formally adding its weight to the global fight against climate change and its devastating consequences.

07/05/2021

Extreme drought & heatwave in the West (inc record breaking heat in our own city of Portland), record heat in other cities around the world, devastating floods..
The is already here

From the historic heat wave tearing through the Pacific Northwest to temperatures

02/24/2021

Heads up- over the course of the week the Human Rights Council meeting will be focused on environment & human rights, with such important topics as environmental defenders, water & biodiversity crises, & the right to a healthy environment.

Watch live at UN TV or through links to side events here:

The 46th Regular Session of the Human Rights Council (HRC46) will take place from 22 February to 23 March 2021 in Geneva. This page highlights the environmental-related activities of this session, and is regularly updated.

10/21/2020

Good news from the EU courts on chemicals

The European Court of Justice found on October 8 that France did not violate EU rules when it banned certain chemicals considered harmful to bees. ​The legal row between the French Crop Protection Association and France goes back to 2018, when the government banned some pesticides belonging to the...

10/12/2020

Tracking lawsuits

Courts are emerging as a new battleground in the climate change fight. From cases over public policy in Europe to fossil fuel industry advertising from ExxonMobil and the American Petroleum Institute in the United States, lawsuits seeking to hold governments and corporations accountable for the

10/01/2020

New law student group releases its report card on law firms contributing to . Which of the top 100 firms are doing best & worst when it comes to cc? Ie lobbying & litigating for clients doing the most damage to planet.

The Law Firm Climate Change ScorecardUncovering the role of top law firms in the climate crisis. `; new autoComplete({ data: { // Data src [Array, Function, Async] | (REQUIRED) // src: async () => { // // API key token // const token = "this_is_the_API_token_number"; // // User search query // const...

09/29/2020

Virtual event this week about the Chevron, Ecuador case. The lawyer who sued Chevron on behalf of Ecuador’s indigenous tribes will be speaking. He’ll also discuss the case Chevron took against him & the legal battle that has him under house arrest. (All this has succeeded in Chevron avoiding paying the damages they owe to the communities they polluted with )
Also follow the lawyer - Steve Donziger on twitter for more updates

The Epic Environmental Litigation of Chevron v. Ecuador: Lessons from the Frontlines

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