People Places Planet

Freshwater and Marine Tenure 101: Who Gets to Use and Manage Water and Ocean Resources

Water is essential to so much of life—from food and livelihoods to culture and ecosystems—but who has the right to access and use it? In this episode of People, Places, P

Protecting the Right to Participate: Aarhus & Escazú

What does it take to give people a meaningful voice in environmental decision-making? In this episode of People, Places, Planet, host Natalie Triana, joined by ELI Senior

Next Generation Geothermal: Closing the Finance & Regulatory Gap (Pt 2)

Does next generation geothermal have the capital and regulatory certainty to scale? In part two of this two-part series, host Sebastian Duque Rios continues the conversat

Next Generation Geothermal: The Technologies Driving the Momentum (Pt 1)

Geothermal energy is having a moment. As demand for reliable, always-on power grows alongside data centers and electrification, new drilling technologies are unlocking ge

Forever Chemicals, State Solutions: New Mexico's PFAS Playbook

Forever chemicals are everywhere — in your carpet, your cookware, your cosmetics, and increasingly, your drinking water. PFAS — per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances — have

Designing for the Future: Circular Strategies Reshaping Fashion and Textiles

The fashion and textiles industry accounts for up to 10% of global greenhouse gas emissions, consumes 93 billion cubic meters of water annually, and generates 92 million

TSCA, Explained

The Toxic Substances Control Act is the cornerstone of chemical regulation in the United States — but for most of its existence, it was widely considered unenforceable. I

Wetlands Under Threat: Local Tools for Protecting Wetlands in a Post-Sackett World

After the Sackett v. EPA Supreme Court decision stripped back federal Clean Water Act protections, local governments found themselves on the frontlines of wetland conserv

Earth Day's Legacy: Rebuilding Environmental Governance for the 21st Century

Fifty-six years ago, the first Earth Day helped spark a generation of landmark environmental legislation — and the Environmental Law Institute (ELI) was born from that sa

Land Rights, Impunity, and the Fight to Protect Brazil's Environmental and Land Defenders

Environmental and land defenders in Brazil face some of the highest rates of violence in the world, yet most attacks are never investigated, and fewer still result in pro

Welcome to People Places Planet

Ahead of our eighth season, here's a preview of what's to come in People, Places, Planet, a bi-weekly podcast from the Environmental Law Institute. From climate change an

Monsanto v. Durnell: Federal Preemption, Roundup, and the Future of Pesticide Liability

Can states hold pesticide companies accountable — or does federal law preempt? In this episode of People, Places, Planet, host Sebastian Duque Rios sits down with Patti G

Place-Based Energy Transitions: Who Decides and Who Benefits in a Clean Energy Future

What does a truly just energy transition look like — and who gets to define it? In this episode of People, Places, Planet, host Sebastian Duque Rios sits down with Nadia

Centering Equity in Ocean Governance

What does equity look like in ocean governance? In this episode of People, Places, Planet, host Sebastian Duque Rios speaks with Yoshitaka Ota of Ocean Nexus and Randall

A New Era? Private Sector Leadership in Environmental Law

Is environmental law entering a new era—one defined not just by regulation and litigation, but also by implementation, incentives, and private-public partnerships? In th

Data Centers, AI, and the Grid: Can Load Flexibility Unlock New Capacity?

As artificial intelligence drives unprecedented growth in electricity demand, data centers are rapidly becoming some of the largest—and most consequential—loads on the U.

FIFRA, Explained

From the food we eat to the parks, farms, and neighborhoods around us, pesticide policy quietly shapes everyday life in the United States. In this installment of our Exp

What’s Next for Environmental Law in 2026

As 2025 comes to a close, People, Places, Planet takes stock of a year of profound change in environmental law—and looks ahead to the legal and policy questions that will

Defensores ambientales: hacia la rendición de cuentas en Colombia

This is a special edition episode in Spanish with our Colombian partner on ELI's Environmental Defenders Database project. If you'd like to learn more, please visit our V

Groundtruth: Sustaining State Environmental Justice Programs in a Changed Policy Environment

Environmental justice continues to evolve as states respond to shifting federal priorities and community needs. New Jersey has emerged as a leader, integrating equity con