People Places Planet

Forever chemicals are everywhere — in your carpet, your cookware, your cosmetics, and increasingly, your drinking water. PFAS — per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances — have been building up in our environment, our water, and our bodies for decades. And while federal regulatory momentum on forever chemicals is stalling, states are moving in the opposite direction. In this episode of People Places Pla...

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 tons of waste each year — yet only 1% of textiles are recycled back into new products. In this episode, we sit down with three leading experts to unpack one of the most resource-intensive industries on the planet and explore what...

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. In this episode of People, Places, Planet's Explained series, host Sebastian Duque Rios is joined by Lynn Bergeson, Managing Partner of Bergeson & Campbell, and Bob Sussman, former senior EPA official and Principal at Sussman &...

After the Sackett v. EPA Supreme Court decision stripped back federal Clean Water Act protections, local governments found themselves on the frontlines of wetland conservation — and many have more tools available to them than they realize. In this special American Wetlands Month episode, host Sebastian Duque Rios talks with wetland policy experts and on-the-ground practitioners about what local ac...

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 same moment. On this Earth Day 2026, host Sebastian Duque Rios sits down with ELI President Jordan Diamond and Senior Attorney Jay Austin to trace the arc of environmental law from that founding era to the compounding crises of toda...

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 prosecution. In this episode of People, Places, Planet , host Sebastian Duque Rios speaks with Kristine Perry, staff attorney at ELI, and Amael Notini, ELI's in-country partner in Brazil and legislative consultant to the Brazilian Fe...

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 and biodiversity loss to pollution and public health, environmental law is at the center of the biggest challenges of our time. " How do we make the law work for people, places, and the planet? " This podcast brings you in-depth co...

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 Goldman, Senior Attorney at Earthjustice, and Cecilia Diedrich, Staff Attorney at ELI, to unpack one of the most consequential environmental law cases of the Supreme Court's current session: Monsanto v. Darnell .   At its core, thi...

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 Ahmad (Barry University School of Law) and Danielle Stokes (University of Richmond School of Law), collaborators on the Just Energy Transitions and Place (JET Place) project, a multi-institutional research initiative examining ho...

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 Abate, ELI Visiting Scholar, about the emerging concept of ocean equity —and why centering social justice is essential to the future of marine conservation and ocean law.   From marine protected areas and small-scale fisheries to...

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 this episode of People, Places, Planet , host Sebastian Duque Rios is joined by Roger Martella (Chief Corporate Officer and Chief Sustainability Officer at GE Vernova), Mike Vandenbergh (Professor of Law, Vanderbilt University), and...

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.S. power grid. Utilities that haven’t seen meaningful load growth in decades now face mounting interconnection backlogs, rising costs, and growing concerns about reliability, emissions, and equity. In this episode of People, Place...

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 Explained series on the nation’s foundational environmental laws, we turn to the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act, better known as FIFRA. Host Sebastian Duque Rios is joined by Dr. Jennifer Sass of the Natural Resou...

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 shape 2026. Host Sebastian Duque Rios draws on insights from ELI convenings with leading scholars, practitioners, scientists, and policymakers to unpack how courts, agencies, and governments are redefining environmental authority...

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 Vibrant Environment blog for an English summary of the episode, or listen to our last episode in February on this topic, " Environmental Defenders: On the Front Lines of Conservation ". Los defensores ambientales desempeñan un pape...

Environmental justice continues to evolve as states respond to shifting federal priorities and community needs. New Jersey has emerged as a leader, integrating equity considerations into core environmental programs, supported by its landmark 2020 EJ law and a long-standing emphasis on strong environmental protections. In this episode, New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner...

At a time when species across the country face mounting pressures, the Endangered Species Act remains one of the most powerful—and contested—tools we have to protect them. In this installment of our Explained series, host Sebastian Duque Rios is joined by three experts whose careers span law, policy, and conservation science: Patrick Parenteau (Vermont Law & Graduate School), Jake Li (Defender...

As climate change reshapes our oceans, fish populations are shifting across borders and into new territories, creating ripple effects for food security, livelihoods, and international relations. These changes are intensifying pressure on governments and coastal communities—and, in some cases, fueling tension and conflict at sea. In this episode of People Places Planet , host Sebastian Duque Rios s...

As the first U.S city to implement a congestion pricing program, New York City has begun charging vehicles entering high-traffic areas of Manhattan a toll. With this initiative, NYC is testing what could be a consequential urban policy for transportation and climate at the municipal level. Ten months into the program, what have we learned? In this episode of People Places Planet , host Sebastian D...

What does it mean to “indigenize” international law—and why does it matter for the environment?   In this episode of People, Places, Planet , host Sebastian Duque Rios speaks with legal scholars Jonathan Liljeblad, Kristen Carpenter, and Margaret Palaghicon Von Rotz about how Indigenous peoples are reshaping international legal thought. Together, they explore the concept of Indigenous legal orders...

What is the National Forest Management Act (NFMA), and how has it shaped the way America manages its forests? In this episode of People, Places, Planet , host Sebastian Duque Rios talks with forest law experts Susan Jane Brown, attorney with Silvix Resources and adjunct professor at Lewis & Clark Law School, and Martin Nie, Director of the Bolle Center for People and Forests at the University...

Since 1989, the National Wetlands Awards have honored leaders who protect, restore, and steward America’s wetlands. In this episode of People, Places, Planet , host Sebastian Duque Rios sits down with the 2025 awardees: Simone Maloz, campaign director of Restore the Mississippi River Delta (00:59); Mike Rolband, Director of Virginia’s Department of Environmental Quality (17:16); and Wyatt Penfold,...

In this special episode of People Places Planet , host Sebastian Duque Rios speaks with Ben Grumbles, president of the Environmental Council of the States (ECOS), and state environmental leaders James Kenney (New Mexico Environment Department), Chris Wells (Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality), and Leah Feldon (Oregon Department of Environmental Quality). The conversation marks the rec...

Plastic packaging is everywhere—from grocery store shelves to e-commerce deliveries—and it’s one of the largest contributors to global plastic waste. In this episode of People, Places, Planet , host Dara Albrecht is joined by Caroline DeLoach (Atlantic Packaging), Daniel Zlatnik (CalRecycle), and Dacie Meng (Ellen MacArthur Foundation). Together, they unpack the complexities of the packaging marke...

Environmental law is complex, technical, and often inaccessible to the very people it’s meant to protect. In this special episode of People, Places, Planet , host Dara Albrecht sits down with members of the ELI podcast team—Associate Vice President of Communications Nick Collins, Communications Associate Maya Sokoloff, and Research Associate and incoming host Sebastian Duque—for a candid conversat...