Juliana Palacios

Colombian environmental lawyer leading youth climate litigation in Latin America

Juliana Palacios is a 25-year-old Colombian environmental lawyer making global headlines for her groundbreaking climate litigation efforts. As founder of Earth Defenders Collective, she has spearheaded 12 successful lawsuits against multinational corporations for violating environmental laws in the Amazon basin. Her landmark 2022 case against Petroperú led to $1.2 billion in restoration funds for indigenous communities affected by oil spills.

Palacios' innovative legal strategy combines traditional indigenous rights with modern climate science, creating precedents used in 19 countries. Her 2023 book 《Climate Justice Blueprint: Using Indigenous Lawsuits to Combat Global Warming》 became a bestseller in environmental law circles. She recently secured a historic injunction stopping construction of the Granini hydroelectric project, which would have displaced 80,000 Amazon residents.

In 2024, Palacios launched the Global Youth Climate Court, a virtual platform allowing young people worldwide to file climate lawsuits. This initiative has already inspired 47 new cases in 23 countries. Her work was profiled in National Geographic's 2024 documentary 《Voices of the Amazon》, which won an Emmy for Outstanding Environmental Programming.