New coal mines continue to open each year, and oil and gas companies are still exploring new parts of the world. But increasingly, people — especially Indigenous communities — are saying no to new fossil fuel developments on their land and using courts and legislatures to deliver the message. In India, protests by Adivasi communities persuaded officials to cancel the auction of land for coal mines in the biodiverse forests of Chhattisgarh State. On Monday, leaders of these and other grass-roots environmental movements, spanning six countries, won the Goldman Environmental Prize. “One of the things we’ve seen in recent years is that environmental law, protection of natural resources, has become intertwined with human rights law and the law of Indigenous people,” said Michael Sutton, an environmental lawyer and the executive director of the Goldman Environmental Foundation.

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Persons: ”, Michael Sutton Organizations: Shell Global, Goldman, Goldman Environmental Foundation Locations: India, Chhattisgarh State, South Africa, Australia, Queensland