Who We Are
EarthRights combines the power of law and the power of people to defend human rights and the environment.
We envision a world where every community has the power to seek justice, defend their rights, and hold corporations, financial institutions, and governments accountable; a world where people live with dignity and self-determination, and where the environments that sustain us are fiercely protected and restored. In the face of the climate crisis, we see a future built on resilience, equity, and the unwavering defense of human rights and the planet.
Our Work
We are a team of community leaders, campaigners, and legal strategists who challenge powerful corporations, governments, and financial institutions that violate people’s rights and destroy our planet for profit.
We rise in defense of communities and the planet, using the power of law and the power of people in pursuit of justice. EIN #: 04-3265555 | Read our institutional policies.
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OUR IMPACT IN 2025
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Our History
In the 1990s, three young people joined together to leverage the power of law and the power of people to defend communities in Burma (Myanmar) from human rights abuses. Two multinational oil companies, Total and Unocal, joined with the Burmese army to militarize a pipeline project, resulting in forced labor, land grabs, torture, rape, extrajudicial killings, and attacks on Indigenous and ethnic minority communities.
These companies tried to profit off of human rights violations. Two young U.S. law students, Katie and Tyler, and an exiled Burmese human rights activist, Ka Hsaw Wa, made sure that they didn’t get away with it.
In 1996, they filed a lawsuit against Unocal for egregious human rights violations, and in 2003 Unocal was forced to settle. From that groundbreaking lawsuit, EarthRights was formed. And now, over 30 years later, our growing team of campaigners, community activists, legal experts, and storytellers continue to secure earth rights for all.
“Those of us who have been dedicated to protecting humans and those who have focused on the environment must recognize that we work at cross purposes if we do not work together.”
Ka Hsaw Wa, EarthRights Co-Founder and Former Executive Director
Help us fight for justice
In a world where climate disruption is accelerating, corporate harm often goes unchecked, and threats against advocates continue to rise, our victories remind us where we’re most needed and most effective.
2023 Annual Report
2022 Annual Report
2021 Annual Report
2020 Annual Report
2019 Annual Report
2018 Annual Report
2017 Annual Report
2016 Annual Report
2015 Annual Report
2014 Annual Report
2013 Annual Report
2012 Annual Report
2011 Annual Report
2010 Annual Report
2009 Annual Report
2008 Annual Report
2007 Annual Report
2006 Annual Report
2005 Annual Report