Protecting life and vital ecosystems in Guyana & across the planet

Melinda Janki is an international lawyer opposing dangerous deep sea oil and gas exploitation offshore Guyana. Stopping these projects is non-negotiable for the ocean, the atmosphere, and life on earth — the stakes couldn’t be higher.

Watch Melinda's TED talk at the TED Countdown Summit in Nairobi June 2025.

The practice

Challenging
Oil & Gas

Greenhouse gas pollution causes global overheating, climate system breakdown and ocean acidification. Enough is enough. Fossil fuels cost the earth.

Protecting the
natural world

Humans are part of an intricate natural system. For millennia, the natural world has provided us with air, water, food and meaning. We must live in harmony with the earth and our more than human companions.

Defending indigenous
& native rights

From Guyana to West Papua and beyond, indigenous and native peoples have the right to self-determination for themselves and their territories.

Meet Melinda

Opposing a desperate and reckless fossil fuel industry in Guyana; writing national laws to protect nature and indigenous and local people; and winning victories in landmark court cases.

Legal Cases

Browse the case files here for the top-line details. Click through to learn more. View all cases here.

Nageer v Environmental Protection Agency Exxon and the Attorney-General: from High Court to Appeal

Read more about this case
1.5°C

increase in temperature will cause:

14%

of species to be at a high risk of extinction.

950 Million

people exposed to heat stress, water stress and desertification.

Media

German documentaries, American podcasts, Guyanese newspapers; fighting fossil fuels, defending the planet and upholding the rule of law has sparked interest across the globe. Browse publications related to my work below.