Edition 14: June 18, 2025
From a potential replacement for PFAS chemicals to peaceful protests against the Trump administration, the fight for climate action is still alive and well.
First-Ever Wrongful Death Lawsuit Filed Against Big Oil
Back in 2021, the Pacific Northwest experienced a record-breaking heatwave caused by a heat dome — which is where extreme heat gets trapped over a particular location. Over 200 people across the region died during the heat dome, and scientists agree that it would not have been so deadly without the influence of climate change. One of the victims of the heat dome was a 65-year-old woman named Juliana Leon, and she died of hyperthermia in Seattle on a day when temperatures peaked at 108°F (42°C). In response, her daughter has filed the first-ever wrongful death lawsuit in the United States against the fossil fuel industry. The lawsuit names ExxonMobil, Chevron, Shell, BP, ConocoPhillips, Phillips 66, and the Olympic Pipeline Company as defendants, and it argues that these companies should be held liable for her death because they knew that climate change is real and their products were causing it before Juliana was even born. Other climate deception lawsuits have been filed against the fossil fuel industry, but this is the first to attempt to link an individual death directly to them. It should come as no surprise to learn that the industry is attempting to get the lawsuit thrown out because they have done so with the dozens of other lawsuits filed against them, but eventually one will stick — and hopefully it will be Leon v. ExxonMobil Corp.
Source: Dharna Noor writes for The Guardian
Scientists Develop a Potential Replacement for PFAS
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances — also known as PFAS — are a group of more than 15,000 different types of synthetic chemicals that have been used extensively in manufacturing and consumer products for decades due to their ability to repel water, grease, and heat. PFAS are known as “forever chemicals” because they stay in our bodies and our environment for long periods of time, and the world is only now discovering just how profuse these chemicals are in our water, soil, and blood. That is why researchers at Northwestern University have developed a safer and more environmentally friendly alternative to them out of a graphene oxide solution. Graphene oxide is produced when the stuff pencils are made of — graphene — is exposed to oxygen, and it can be sprayed onto materials to make them more heat and grease resistant without significantly impacting their ability to be composted or recycled. So far it has been successfully tested on cardboard boxes as well as plastic produce bags, plates, cups, and straws, and the scientists behind this research are already working with manufacturers to conduct pilot tests. But, they’re not stopping there — they want to find even better alternatives to PFAS. This goes to show that with the right funding and support, we will be able to solve the various environmental crises we face.
"We work on this to make an impact on our future, our children, grandchildren, and for the whole earth," - Dr. SonBinh Nguyen
Source: Mikayla Price and Adam Harrington write for CBS News
New Study Reaffirms Importance of Indigenous Stewardship
Indigenous communities have been effective stewards of their lands and waters for millennia, but scientific research is only just now starting to recognize that. One of those scientific studies looked at deforestation rates in Panama and found that forest cover on Indigenous-managed lands has remained stable at nearly double the rate of government-managed protected areas over the past two decades. Panama is incredibly biodiverse with forests covering 62% of its land area, but the country has lost around 3.5% of its forest cover in recent years. The researchers behind this study worked with Indigenous communities to map the land they use as well as what they use it for, and they found that if communities view their land as culturally or spiritually significant, then the land tends not to be deforested or degraded. This is a stark contrast from the commonly held belief in the Global North that ecosystems are best managed when humans aren’t allowed to be there at all – and this is why the researchers behind the study are advocating for land title reforms across Latin America. Many Indigenous communities do not have legal rights to their land because the title policies often require exploitation before a title can be given. “It is crucial to disarticulate land ownership from deforestation, grant formal titles to Indigenous lands, and foster equitable incentives to Indigenous peoples,” Dr. Camilo Alejo, one of the study researchers, said. Hopefully this study will lead to those title reforms, because the world must protect and restore forests in order to effectively address the climate and biodiversity crises, and there is truly no need to reinvent the wheel when it comes to stewardship since Indigenous communities have been doing it successfully for generations.
Source: Cristen Hemingway Jaynes writes for EcoWatch
Millions Peacefully Protest Against Trump Administration
Last weekend people took the streets across the United States not in celebration of President Trump’s birthday – but rather to protest his fascist policies and rhetoric. Some of those policies include gutting federal funding, firing federal employees, attempting to sell off public lands, and withholding already approved grants. That is all impacting the federal government's ability to effectively fight climate change and pollution, which of course, is exactly what the big polluters who heavily donated to Trump's reelection campaign wanted to happen. Climate certainly wasn't the only reason people took to the streets; people were also upset about ICE raids, political violence, the separation of church and state, a lack of due process, and the dismantling of life-saving federal funding at the local protest I attended in my deeply red state. Estimates of the total number of protesters vary by source, but according to the Alt National Park Service, over 13 million people protested on No King’s Day which is over 3.5% of the American population. That percentage is quite significant because studies have shown that if at least 3.5% of a population can sustain protests against a government, political change is inevitable. So don't give up on climate change or the United States – we are powerful when we come together.
Thank you for gathering and highlighting these positive stories 🙏🏻