Environment & Climate

It was supposed to be a grand homecoming of one of Germany’s most prized icons. The revered naval training ship Gorch Fock cruised into the Baltic Sea port of Kiel on October 4, greeted by a 20-gun salute, the Marine...

A bill that institutes whistleblower reward programs for individuals exposing animal trafficking and other wildlife crimes was recently reintroduced in Congress. Representatives John Garamendi (D-CA) and Don Young (R-AK) reintroduced the Wildlife Conservation and Anti-Trafficking Act (WCATA). The bill was...

On November 10, the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) and the National Whistleblower Center (NWC) held a question and answer session on Twitter to discuss wildlife trafficking and whistleblowers’ roles in fighting wildlife crime. The Twitter thread referenced IFAW’s...

On October 15, the National Whistleblower Center (NWC) submitted comments to the United Nations (UN) Human Rights Council's Special Rapporteur about the status of whistleblowers as human rights defenders. In their comments, NWC advocates for stronger protections for whistleblowers, particularly...

The National Whistleblower Center (NWC) has launched a new pledge campaign to help support wildlife whistleblowers and combat wildlife crises. The campaign states that “whistleblowers are the most powerful tool we have to fight wildlife crime, and they need our...

2021 has been a significant year for promoting international environmental protection and whistleblower enfranchisement. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has taken a number of important steps that will encourage governments and other actors to view whistleblowers as...

In light of the growing trend of climate change litigation, companies who ignore their potential exposure to climate change litigation might see their operations, value and profitability severely affected. Climate change litigation continues to grow and diversify, spreading to increasing...

As the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) World Conservation Congress prepares to begin September 3-11 in Marseilles, France, there has been an increase in attention to “environmental defenders.'' Environmental defenders are defined by the United Nations (UN) as “individuals...

As Sara Walker noted in her guest blog, wildlife trafficking is a global crisis. She points out that whistleblowing is one of the many components that need to be improved to help combat this crime. I agree that whistleblowing is...

Wildlife trafficking is a global crisis—one of the crucial conservation issues of our time— driving some of the world’s most beloved animals to the brink of extinction. Wildlife trafficking is also a people problem. It disrupts the livelihoods of local...