How Melinda Janki Fought and Won Against ExxonMobil in Guyana

From Corporate Lawyer to Environmental Defender

• 💡 Melinda Janki transitioned from working as a corporate lawyer for a major oil company to defending people and nature in her home country, Guyana.
• 🌳 She drafted new laws to protect the environment and Indigenous land rights, empowering a community to safeguard 2,300 square miles of tropical forest.
• 💖 Janki expresses a deep personal connection to nature, viewing all living creatures as family.

Challenging ExxonMobil's Offshore Oil Discovery

• ⛽ In 2015, ExxonMobil discovered over 11 billion barrels of oil offshore Guyana, a find that could release five billion tons of greenhouse gas pollution.
• ⚖️ Janki recognized the threat and decided to take action against the powerful oil industry, emphasizing that law is a form of power.

Legal Victories and Precedents

• 🏆 Janki's legal strategy focuses on using existing laws, not creating new ones or relying on moral arguments.
• ⏱️ In 2020, she successfully reduced ExxonMobil Guyana's permits from 20 years to five years by enforcing a pre-existing rule.
• 🌍 A significant March 2025 win mandated that environmental impact assessments must include Scope 3 emissions (pollution from burning the oil globally), making it harder to justify oil extraction projects.

Financial Liability and Guarantees

• 💰 Janki argued that Guyana should not pay for harm caused by Exxon's drilling, and the judge agreed that ExxonMobil Guyana is liable for unlimited cleanup and restoration costs.
• 🏦 Because ExxonMobil Guyana lacked sufficient funds, the court ordered an unlimited parent company guarantee, leading to a 12% decline in ExxonMobil Corporation's share price.
• 🔒 Courts have also required ExxonMobil Guyana to comply with international law, provide insurance, and secure a two-billion-dollar guarantee.

Reducing Barriers to Legal Action

• 🤝 Even in cases where the desired ruling wasn't achieved, Janki's work led to a precedent where individuals protecting the environment are not penalized with the other side's legal costs if they lose.
• 🌐 This ruling, currently binding in five countries, aims to make it easier for people to challenge the oil industry in court.
• 💪 Janki asserts that the oil industry is weak and will collapse, urging people to fight with courage and intelligence rather than despair.