Our Work

Issue Areas

Explore the issue areas into which Earthjustice's work is divided.

Global Warming Global warming impacts our entire planet. It threatens local communities, wildlife habitats and endangered species. It alters weather patterns, potentially causing more floods, famines, droughts and ecological devastation. Earthjustice is taking a lead role in addressing the causes — and the effects — of global warming. Learn more about our global warming work	Air Air contains elements that are vital to life on Earth. We breathe air in, absorb some of the oxygen, and then breathe out carbon dioxide. Plants breathe in carbon dioxide, absorb it to build their tissue, and breathe out oxygen. When contaminants enter the picture, however, nature's cycle is disrupted and public health and agriculture can be harmed. Learn more about our air work	Forests The vast majority of forested land in the U.S. is privately owned, but that land has been logged relentlessly. So lately the timber industry has turned its attention to the national forests. But the forests are much more than lumber. They provide habitat for wildlife, protection for watersheds, and recreational opportunities for everyone: hunters, fishermen, backpackers, and hikers alike. Learn more about our forest work
Health & Communities Our modern world is beset with a great smorgasbord of contaminants: smog in our skies, pesticides on our food, hormones in our meat, fertilizer in our rivers, gasoline seeping slowly into our water supplies. This has caused debilitating and expensive health problems that impact the poor and minorities disproportionately. It has also damaged wildlife and recreational opportunities. Learn more about our health & communities work	International Birds and whales are miraculous creatures, but they don't read maps. Nor do plumes of smoke, or gases that accumulate in the atmosphere and change the climate. Likewise, economic activity is becoming ever more indifferent to national boundaries, plundering natural resources in one area, then moving on to the next. Trade can spread pollution even as it boosts the economy for the wealthy. Learn more about our international work	Oceans Covering more than 70 percent of the earth's surface, oceans play an important role in many physical, chemical, and biological processes. Oceans generate most of the oxygen in the atmosphere, absorb a significant amount of carbon dioxide and pollution, and recycle other greenhouse gases. They also provide habitat for fish and other creatures that feed millions of people. The oceans' productivity is in steep decline. Learn more about our oceans work
Public Lands Approximately one third of all the land in the U.S. is managed by the federal government, theoretically for the use and benefit of all the public. Too often, however, it is managed for the benefit of private interests, which have little if any concern for the public or for the future, causing pollution, erosion, and other problems. Learn more about our global warming work	Water Water covers three-quarters of the earth's surface. Rivers are the vascular system of the planet, delivering life-giving water to fields and faucets, carving valleys and canyons, depositing rich sediments on alluvial plains, flushing waste to the ocean. A human can survive a month or more without food; without water he or she will perish in a few days. Learn more about our water work	Wildlife There is nothing quite so final, so absolute, as extinction. Once the last of a species dies, that's it. There's no turning back, no adequate apology, no instant replay to see if the referee missed the call. Extinction is forever. And there are many reasons to preserve species — medical, ethical, selfish, and moral. A planet that can’t support wildlife will someday not support humans. Learn more about our wildlife work