Protecting life and vital ecosystems in Guyana & across the planet

Melinda Janki is the recipient of the 6th Commonwealth Law Conference Rule of Law award. She 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.

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.

Court Cases

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

Collins and Whyte v Environmental Protection Agency and Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Ltd. (now Exxon Mobil Guyana)

Collins and Whyte argued that the environmental permit issued to Esso in 2022 requires Esso to provide insurance and an unlimited parent company guarantee. High Court Justice Sandil Kissoon gave his verdict in a landmark ruling, requiring an unlimited/uncapped parent company guarantee and indemnity from Exxon Mobil Corporation. He stated that the EPA had put "this nation and its people in grave potential danger of calamitous disaster"

Read more about this case
9

warmest years on record occurred between 2014–2022

$18.74 million

worth of gas was flared in Guyana during 2022

4.3 billion tonnes

of CO2 equivalent would be released by burning Guyana’s oil

30.2 times

the amount of CO2 that Guyana’s forest can capture per year will be emitted by burning Guyana’s oil

Janki blogs

When time allows, which is occasionally, I write longer format articles.  For my fellow Earth dwellers sharing these challenging times, I hope these stories will enliven and enlighten you; for the bad actors among my website visitors, learn to live with love!   Please view the full blog index here.