Weekly Earth Wins 11/17
Your weekly dose of news on systemic solutions to our systemic climate crisis.
👩🏼⚖️ Legal Activism
A dam collapse that happened over a decade ago in Brazil and is still regarded as one of the country’s worst environmental damages in history has pointed fingers in the courtroom. High Court Justice determined that the negligence of mining company BHP caused the collapse and toxic waste release.
Damages to be paid to claimants will be resolved in the second phase of the trial.
The hope: This ruling demonstrates that even in cases involving powerful multinational corporations, legal systems can deliver accountability for environmental disasters. Such victories in court set important precedents that strengthen environmental protections and embolden affected communities worldwide to pursue justice, showing that corporate negligence will not go unanswered regardless of a company’s size or influence.
⚡ Green Jobs
A recently published report showed that clean energy jobs grew three times faster than the overall economy in 2024, adding nearly 100,000 positions and bringing the total to over 3.5 million Americans employed in solar, wind, batteries, and related sectors — more than server or cashier jobs.
The hope: Despite current policy headwinds, the sustained demand for clean energy jobs demonstrates the sector’s fundamental economic strength and public support.
⚕️Funding for Health x Climate
Over 35 major philanthropies have formed the Climate and Health Funders Coalition, committing an initial $300 million to address the climate-driven public health crisis affecting 3.3 billion people, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. Announced at COP30 in Brazil, the coalition will focus on extreme heat, air pollution, climate-sensitive diseases, and strengthening health systems through the Belém Health Action Plan.
The hope: This collaboration among major funders with impressive track records in public health signals growing recognition that climate change is fundamentally a health crisis requiring immediate, coordinated investment.
🗑️ Repurposing War Waste
In response to Russia’s devastating bombardment that has generated over 1.5 billion tons of war debris across Ukraine, Zero Waste Kharkiv launched a pilot project in the village of Ruska Lozova to recover and reuse materials from destroyed buildings. A team of volunteers spent a month dismantling the bombed village hall, salvaging 13,000 bricks, concrete, wood, and metal, which were then distributed to residents for reconstruction or repurposed to fill craters and repair homes in a community where two-thirds of buildings were destroyed and only 700 of 5,000 residents remained.
The hope: This grassroots initiative demonstrates that even amid ongoing conflict, communities can transform the overwhelming problem of war debris into practical solutions for rebuilding.