The Arctic
After legal pressure from Earthjustice and the realization that it is too risky to drill for oil in the remote, stormy and icy Arctic seas, Shell abandoned its plans to drill for oil in the sensitive waters of America's Arctic waters in 2014.
THE ARCTIC IS GROUND ZERO FOR CLIMATE CHANGE.
Massive blocks of Arctic ice play an important role in regulating the planet’s climate. But rapid loss of Arctic ice due to climate change is leading to great shifts—temperatures are increasing, storms are intensifying and sea levels are rising as we move towards irreparable damage. Additionally, as the Arctic landscape changes, the wildlife and human communities that depend on its resources for survival are facing daunting and life-threatening challenges.
EARTHJUSTICE IS FIGHTING TO SAVE THE IRREPLACEABLE ARCTIC ECOSYSTEM BY:
- PROTECTING ARCTIC WILDLIFE through litigation that protected imperiled species like polar bears, caribou and whales.
- REDUCING BLACK CARBON through coalition building on the national and international level.
- STOPPING OIL AND GAS DRILLING with litigation that beats back unlawful attempts by oil and gas companies to unleash dangerous carbon emissions and turn one of the most productive ocean ecosystems in the world into an industrial drilling zone.
WE’RE PROTECTING THE ARCTIC FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS.
Earthjustice played a strategic role in advocating for a landmark program to reduce methane, black carbon and other pollutants. The plan was announced in February 2012 by former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, former EPA administrator Lisa Jackson, the United Nations Environment Programme, and leaders from five other nations. Earthjustice is one of the few civil society representatives in the newly formed “Climate and Clean Air Coalition”.
"Drilling in high-risk places like the freezing waters of the Arctic Ocean is a backwards-looking strategy when we need to look forward to meet energy needs and limit the effects of climate change.” – Trip Van Noppen, Earthjustice President
Spotlight Features
Number of comments and letters opposing Arctic Ocean drilling delivered by Earthjustice’s coalition in 2012–2013