Environment
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Letter to President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, from Kerry Kennedy
Tags Share Your Excellency President Aliyev, COP29 has come to a close, but these past few weeks have the power to fuel lasting change. As global leaders, civil society organizations, and climate advocates return to their home countries, I urge you to use this momentum to commit to international human rights standards. As a longtime…
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This Week’s Spotlight on Human Rights
Tags Share Female migrant in Florida subjected to ‘horrific’ treatment, complaint alleges A female migrant in mental distress was kept in solitary confinement for a month at a Florida detention center, then mocked and leered at by male guards after they strapped her almost naked to a restraint chair, a federal civil rights complaint alleges. “Ana came…
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This Week’s Spotlight on Human Rights
Tags Share Private Prison Companies Call Trump’s Deportation Plans ‘Unprecedented Opportunity’ Trump made mass deportation of undocumented immigrants ― and even some immigrants who are here with legal protections ― a cornerstone of his 2024 campaign, building on years of racist and dehumanizing rhetoric about immigrants, speaking affectionately for President Dwight D. Eisenhower’s mass deportation program, and even invoking an 18th-century…
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This Week’s Spotlight on Human Rights
Tags Share Trump Wins, the Press Loses Since he entered politics, a decade ago, Donald Trump has castigated journalists for their skepticism and independence, calling the media “the enemy of the people,” a “threat to democracy,” “fake,” and “crooked bastards” whom he vows to prosecute. Now that he has secured a second term, he will be…
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Behind the Headlines: The Urgency of Decarceration in the Fight for Climate Justice
Tags Share In October, Hurricane Milton made landfall in Florida, just weeks after Hurricane Helene, which killed over 200 people across six states. Scientists believe that the intensity and frequency of severe hurricanes in recent years is in large part due to climate change. In one of the largest and most urgent evacuation efforts in…
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This Week’s Spotlight on Human Rights
Tags Share Several Florida jails and prisons refuse to evacuate ahead of Hurricane Milton Several Florida jails and prisons are refusing to evacuate their residents ahead of Hurricane Milton despite being in the evacuation zone of the storm. Manatee county jail, which has 1,200 incarcerated people and is located on the south-east side of Tampa Bay, in the path…
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Just Transition Roundtable Series: Session 1
Share While some investors have committed to incorporating principles of a climate Just Transition into their investment strategies and net zero plans, there is not yet a widely adopted institutional framework to guide decision-making. To bridge this gap, we at RFK Human Rights are hosting a series of roundtables over the coming months in partnership…
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Rising Temperatures, Rising Threats: The Growing Risk and Resilience of Environmental Defense
Tags Share In every corner of the world, from the burning rainforests of the Amazon to the rising shores of the Pacific Islands, environmental defenders are on the front lines of the fight against one of humanity’s greatest threats: climate change. These courageous individuals and communities are not only protecting our planet but are also…
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This Week’s Spotlight on Human Rights
Tags Share Colombia Is the Deadliest Country for Environmental Activists, Report Finds Protecting the world’s most pristine ecosystems is essential to curb climate change and prevent biodiversity loss, but it also continues to be deadly. At least 196 people were killed last year defending the environment, according to a report by Global Witness, an environmental watchdog…
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This Week’s Spotlight on Human Rights
Tags Share Uganda: 72 arrests in August alone as authorities continue to crack down on human rights defenders opposing oil development projects Ugandan authorities have once again intensified their repression of activists protesting the oil mega-projects that are being developed in the country’s Lake Albert region. The International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) has documented…
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Charting the Course: Q&A with Tom Dinapoli, NYS Comptroller
Tags Share The urgency for action on the climate crisis continues to grow: July marked the 13th consecutive month that global average temperatures set new monthly records, and the 12th consecutive month of temperatures being 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. The potential for even more record-breaking months ahead should underscore that climate change is a material risk…
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This Week’s Spotlight on Human Rights
Tags Share Abuse of migrants rampant at Louisiana Ice centers, report finds Abuse of thousands of migrants at federal immigration detention centers in Louisiana is rampant, inhumane and meets the legal definition of torture, according to a report published on Monday by a coalition of human rights groups. Accusations include the shackling of detainees for lengthy periods in painful…
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