In less than a week, over 4,000 representatives from UN Member States and observers from around the world will gather in Ottawa, Canada, for the fourth session of the intergovernmental negotiating committee to advance a plastics treaty (INC-4). Previous negotiations have swirled around procedural issues, leading to delays and frustrations. As the clock ticks with … Read More.
Today, there are three climate advisory proceedings underway before the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (Inter-American Court), the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS), and the International Court of Justice (ICJ), each of which has been asked to clarify States’ climate obligations.
Published April 10, 2024 By Aubrey Manahan, Campaigner, and Lani Furbank, Communications Campaign Specialist As the World Bank Group (WBG) and International Monetary Fund (IMF) prepare to convene their 2024 Spring Meetings from April 15 to 20 in Washington, DC, the growing call to decolonize economic and financial institutions as a fundamental part of the … Read More.
Homeowners, already burdened by escalating premiums driven to a large extent by unchecked greenhouse gas emissions, now find themselves dropped by their insurers. Meanwhile, these insurers continue to profit from fossil fuel expansion, further exacerbating climate risks.
Published February 2, 2024 By Sébastien Duyck, Senior Attorney & Human Rights & Climate Campaign Manager, and Lani Furbank, Communications Campaign Specialist. On the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, a diverse, people-powered, global coalition made history at the United Nations headquarters in New York. The Global Coalition of Civil Society, Indigenous … Read More.
Published January 31, 2024 By Giulia Carlini, Manager and Senior Attorney in CIEL’s Environmental Health program, David Azoulay, Director of the Environmental Health Program, and Catherine Allary, Communications Campaign Specialist. After years of negotiations, the fifth International Conference on Chemicals Management (ICCM5) successfully adopted a new global framework on September 30, 2023, in Bonn, Germany, … Read More.
Published December 18, 2023 By Aubrey Manahan, Campaigner for CIEL’s People, Land & Resources Program. This month, during the United Nations Climate Summit COP28 in Dubai, Parties finalized the creation of a Loss and Damage Fund aimed at addressing climate-related harms endured by vulnerable communities and countries. While this achievement follows decades of advocacy by … Read More.
Published November 29, 2023 The United Nations climate conference gets underway in the United Arab Emirates this week against a backdrop of broken records and broken promises. From off-the-charts temperatures and unprecedented weather events to off-the-rails climate policies and missing climate finance, 2023 has raised the stakes for this year’s intergovernmental climate talks to new … Read More.
Published November 3, 2023 By Lien Vandamme, Senior Campaigner Human Rights & Climate Change Promoting the rights and ensuring effective remedy for people adversely harmed by the climate crisis remains sidelined in the international climate negotiations. The creation of the Loss and Damage Fund at COP27 was celebrated as a historic win for communities impacted … Read More.
Published October 5th, 2023 *Note: The World Bank Group and the International Monetary Fund, together with the Moroccan Government, made the decision that this year’s Annual Meetings in Marrakech will continue as planned after the recent earthquake in Morocco. CIEL will continue to monitor the evolving context and support local and regional partners who have … Read More.
Published September 28, 2023 By Joie Chowdhury, Senior Attorney of Climate Litigation and Accountability for CIEL’s Climate & Energy Program. Court expected to issue its opinion by early 2024 After two weeks, public hearings at the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) in relation to the request for its Advisory Opinion on … Read More.
Just three months ahead of COP28, the Transitional Committee meets for a 3rd time in the Dominican Republic to discuss the Loss and Damage Fund. It’s time to make concrete progress.
This article by Whitney Gravelle, Lindsay Bailey, Tamara Morgenthau, and Marco Simons was originally published on Just Security. One day in July 2010, residents of Marshall, Michigan, smelled something toxic in the air and called 9-1-1. It took over 17 hours for Canadian oil giant Enbridge to detect that its Line 6b pipeline had ruptured. In that time, … Read More.
In a little under two weeks, thousands of negotiators and observers will gather in Paris, France, for the second intergovernmental negotiating committee (INC-2) to advance a plastics treaty. Center for International Environmental Law staff will join allies and partners representing rightsholders, workers and trade unions, scientists, Indigenous Peoples, and people living on the frontlines of … Read More.
The Reykjavik Summit provides a historic opportunity for Member States to recognize the right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment through the drafting of a dedicated protocol to the European Convention on Human Rights.
In March, the international authority on climate science released its new Synthesis Report on the current status of climate change, its impacts and risks, and our options to adapt to and confront the crisis in these pivotal years ahead. The takeaways from this massive document by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) are numerous and detailed, … Read More.
In March, the board of the Green Climate Fund met in South Korea to fund climate projects and shape its strategic plan for the next four years. The Green Climate Fund was established in 2010 as a promise to channel billions of dollars to low-income countries to help them adapt to a changing climate and reduce … Read More.
Next week, the World Bank Group (WBG) and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) will host their Spring Meetings in Washington, DC, from April 10 to April 14. These yearly events are a combination of official closed-door meetings among World Bank and IMF leadership, public seminars on global economic development, and high-level events featuring prominent officials. … Read More.
States met for the first meeting on the Loss and Damage Fund in Egypt. We explore emerging trends and challenges ahead.
Decades of research demonstrate that pesticides can cause negative effects on environmental and human health. This has led some States to ban or deny the approval of certain active substances used in pesticides in order to protect people and the planet. However, there is currently no binding international agreement that broadly regulates pesticides. As of … Read More.
As the world’s understanding of the plastics crisis grows, new facets of the problem emerge and reveal impacts on human health and the environment. Recent advances in science are allowing scientists to explore how micro- and nanoplastics form a critical piece of the plastic pollution problem. First thought to be mainly a marine pollution issue, … Read More.
As the world considers how to address the growing impacts of the triple planetary crises of pollution, climate change, and biodiversity loss, many discussions point toward a circular economy approach as a much-needed solutions pathway. The term circular economy is routinely used in conversations and policy discussions that center on re-envisioning the full system of … Read More.
Carbon capture and storage (CCS) is purported to collect or “capture” carbon dioxide generated by high-emitting activities, and is therefore commonly proposed as a technology to help meet global energy and climate goals. However, CCS does not address the core drivers of the climate crisis or meaningfully reduce greenhouse emissions, and should not distract from … Read More.
The Inter-American Development Bank’s accountability mechanism officially closed its case on the Alto Maipo Hydroelectric Project after a flawed investigation and an ineffective action plan left communities with little to show for their years-long pursuit of accountability. At the end of November, the accountability mechanism of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) officially closed its case … Read More.
Momentum is building towards stronger protections for forests to address illegal logging and timber trade.
This piece was co-authored by Julia Urrunaga, Director of the Peru Program at the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA); Susanne Breitkopf, Deputy Director of Forest Campaigns at EIA, and Melissa Blue Sky, Senior Attorney at CIEL. Peruvian scientists have been warning for years about the need to protect the country’s threatened shihuahuaco trees. But the government … Read More.
This piece was co-authored by Joie Chowdhury, Program Coordinator for Environment and Economic, Social and Cultural Rights at ESCR-Net — International Network for Economic, Social and Cultural Rights; Lien Vandamme, Senior Campaigner at the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL); and Heidi White lawyer and independent consultant working with the Loss and Damage Collaboration (L&DC). It was … Read More.
This analysis outlines the main critical areas of the upcoming negotiations and key demands from civil society ahead of the COP27 Opening Plenary.
On October 19, 2022, nearly 300 TIAA account holders filed a complaint against the financial services giant and its wholly-owned subsidiary Nuveen at the United Nations-sponsored Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI). The complaint alleges that TIAA’s substantial investments in fossil fuels and deforestation violate the company’s climate pledges and commitment to the PRI Principles and … Read More.
This week, CIEL’s experts will be engaging at the meetings to discuss major issues and challenges facing communities who have been directly affected by development projects. This week, the World Bank Group (WBG) and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) are holding their Annual Meetings in Washington, DC. The meetings bring together finance ministers, government delegates, … Read More.
What recent case law and treaty reforms may mean for the future of investment arbitration in the energy sector Download a PDF of this document. As governments step up action to end reliance on fossil fuels, oil, gas, and coal companies may wield investment law as a shield to insulate themselves from the cost of … Read More.
Learn what happened during the latests negotiations on the how to promote chemical safety worldwide.
CIEL Senior Attorney Melissa Blue Sky reflects on her recent experience in Korea at the World Forestry Congress and considers legal approaches to protecting forests.
At the end of May, 124 countries met in Dakar, Senegal, at an Open-Ended Working Group (OEWG) in advance of the negotiations for a new global treaty on plastics. Parties convened to discuss Rules of Procedure for the negotiations, nominate a bureau to set the agenda for and facilitate future meetings, and discuss the program … Read More.
This piece was co-authored by the Center for International Environmental Law, the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD), and ClientEarth. It was originally posted on Jus Mundi. After two years and fifteen negotiation rounds, on June 24, 2022, the Contracting Parties of the Energy Charter Treaty (ECT) finally reached an agreement in principle on a … Read More.
Here at the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL), we know our strength comes from the people who make up our movement — from our staff, to our partners, to our steadfast supporters. Our “Meet Our Staff” series will introduce you to some of our amazing staff members, who work behind the scenes every day … Read More.
Six years ago, a legally binding global treaty to end plastic pollution seemed impossible. But last month, the resumed fifth session of the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA 5.2) concluded with the historic passage of a mandate to do just that. One hundred seventy-five countries adopted a resolution titled End Plastic Pollution: Towards a legally … Read More.
By Carla García Zendejas It has been a year since the landmark Escazú Agreement entered into force (April 22, 2021), and while the Agreement was envisioned in a pre-COVID world, it is critical to take stock of the context in which it will be implemented. This week, States are gathering in Santiago, Chile, to do … Read More.
Here at the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL), we know our strength comes from the people who make up our movement — from our staff, to our partners, to our steadfast supporters. Our “Meet Our Staff” series will introduce you to some of our amazing staff members, who work behind the scenes every day … Read More.
When exiting investments, MDBs must address negative impacts of projects on communities What happens when the private sector arms of Multilateral Development Banks (MDBs) exit their investments without addressing negative impacts and project-related harms, thus leaving project-affected communities without proper remedial actions? We examine seven IFC and IDB Invest cases to draw specific recommendations for … Read More.
Starting next week, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) will host the 5th Meeting of the Open-Ended Committee of Permanent Representatives to UNEP (OECPR) and the second session of the 5th UN Environment Assembly, the highest political forum on environmental matters. While much of the buzz surrounding the meetings is about the push for a … Read More.
Since 2017, state parties, regional groups, and multiple stakeholders have introduced formal propositions and issued declarations concerning a new global instrument to address the plastics crisis, demonstrating that movement towards such an instrument is picking up. But new global instruments do not happen overnight — before negotiations can begin, a mandate must be established and … Read More.
Here at the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL), we know our strength comes from the people who make up our movement — from our staff, to our partners, to our steadfast supporters. Our “Meet Our Staff” series will introduce you to some of our amazing staff members, who work behind the scenes every day … Read More.
Climate litigation has taken on even greater importance after the failure of COP26 to deliver the action and resources required to accelerate the energy transition and remedy mounting climate harms. As progress in international negotiating rooms stalls, litigation in national and regional courtrooms plays an ever more critical role in efforts to compel urgently needed … Read More.
The climate talks, COP26, in Glasgow started with a plethora of declarations. But in the end it failed to deliver on the real and immediate action needed to avoid climate catastrophe, and to address the demand for justice and equity for those most impacted by climate harms. The message outside of the negotiating halls at … Read More.
We are living in a moment of transformative change. Our world is in the midst of an accelerating climate crisis, an ongoing global pandemic, rising threats to democracy and human rights, and the growing recognition that we cannot address any of these challenges without confronting the legacy and ongoing impacts of systemic racism and oppression. … Read More.
On December 14th, over 700 civil society groups from 113 countries called upon United Nations Member States to agree to establish a legally binding global instrument — a plastics treaty — at the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA5.2). The main messages and demands were published in a Call to Action and presented during a two-sessions … Read More.
Here at the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL), we know our strength comes from the people who make up our movement — from our staff, to our partners, to our steadfast supporters. Our “Meet Our Staff” series will introduce you to some of our amazing staff members, who work behind the scenes every day … Read More.
Three days into COP26 and the promise of the “most inclusive COP ever” has shaped up to be nothing more than a farce with limited access and negotiations almost entirely off-limits to observers. Alok Sharma opened the Climate Leadership Summit thanking everyone for their efforts to get to Glasgow, and it’s true: Delegates, civil society … Read More.
COP26 takes place against the backdrop of nationalist health policies with daunting consequences, failed promises to adequately scale up climate action and financial support, and an unprecedented push for false solutions that divert global attention from the urgent need to phase out fossil fuels. Originally scheduled to take place in 2020, COP26 was … Read More.
The climate emergency is here, and we know fossil fuels are the cause. During the People vs. Fossil Fuels week of action in Washington, DC, many of CIEL’s US-based staff answered the call from Indigenous and frontline leaders for bold action to confront environmental racism and the climate emergency. We joined thousands of Indigenous and … Read More.
Here at the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL), we know our strength comes from the people who make up our movement — from our staff, to our partners, to our steadfast supporters. Our “Meet Our Staff” series will introduce you to some of our amazing staff members, who work behind the scenes every day … Read More.
On July 19th, over 500 organizations across the United States in Canada expressed deep concerns about the US and Canadian governments’ support for carbon capture and storage (CCS) and carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) technologies in an open letter to policymakers in the United States and Canada. The letter’s key messages and demands were … Read More.
Louisiana is gaining an ever-increasing amount of national and international attention for Cancer Alley, an eighty-five-mile stretch along the Mississippi River lined with industrial plants, and the corridor’s role in perpetuating environmental racism and threats to public health. Simultaneously, the state’s policymakers are turning toward a new pernicious industrialization effort that threatens to impact Black, Brown, and Indigenous communities: carbon … Read More.
Governments are gathering virtually under the auspices of the Paris Agreement in what is a high-stakes year for global climate negotiations. The UN Climate Change Conference, Sessions of the subsidiary bodies (SB52), is a three-week meeting that began on Monday, May 31st, and is the first formal UN climate negotiations in a year and a … Read More.
Here at the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL), we know our strength comes from the people who make up our movement — from our staff, to our partners, to our steadfast supporters. Our “Meet Our Staff” series will introduce you to some of our amazing staff members, who work behind the scenes every day … Read More.
Here at the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL), we know our strength comes from the people who make up our movement — from our staff, to our partners, to our steadfast supporters. Our “Meet Our Staff” series will introduce you to some of our amazing staff members, who work behind the scenes every day … Read More.
Here at the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL), we know our strength comes from the people who make up our movement — from our staff, to our partners, to our steadfast supporters. Our “Meet Our Staff” series will introduce you to some of our amazing staff members, who work behind the scenes every day … Read More.
(Español abajo) In a key decision paving the way for the creation of the long-awaited Naso Tjër Di Comarca, Panama’s highest court confirmed the State’s obligation to secure Indigenous collective rights to land and emphasized the critical role of Indigenous Peoples in protecting biodiversity, natural resources, and the climate. The decision joins a growing chorus … Read More.
Here at the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL), we know our strength comes from the people who make up our movement — from our staff, to our partners, to our steadfast supporters. Our “Meet Our Staff” series will introduce you to some of our amazing staff members, who work behind the scenes every day … Read More.
This year has been marked by profound challenges, from the intensification of the climate crisis, to a global pandemic, to police violence that has spurred global movements for racial justice. It has placed into stark relief that the greatest challenges facing people and the planet are deeply interconnected. 2020 has also demonstrated the importance of … Read More.
Here at the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL), we know our strength comes from the people who make up our movement — from our staff, to our partners, to our steadfast supporters. Our “Meet Our Staff” series will introduce you to some of our amazing staff members, who work behind the scenes every day … Read More.
There is no longer doubt about the intersection of the environment and human rights. As illustrated throughout the pandemic, all environmental threats, from climate change to toxic exposure, are impacting individuals’ daily lives and human rights, especially in vulnerable communities. Therefore, governments and other stakeholders can’t afford to deal with the environment and human rights … Read More.
When something as unprecedented and disruptive as the COVID-19 pandemic strikes, forcing everyone into quarantine and taking countless lives, it’s only natural to want to assign blame. Well, scientific consensus says that in this case — and in the cases of SARS, MERS, Ebola, Swine Flu, Tuberculosis, Tapeworms, Avian Flu, HIV, West Nile Virus, and … Read More.
Here at the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL), we know our strength comes from the people who make up our movement — from our staff, to our partners, to our steadfast supporters. Our “Meet Our Staff” series will introduce you to some of our amazing staff members, who work behind the scenes every day … Read More.
The global pandemic has placed unprecedented pressure on waste management systems worldwide, posing grave risks to human health and the environment. It will be necessary to develop ambitious waste reduction and management plans to build a more sustainable post-pandemic world. As the legal framework on waste and the waste trade, the Basel Convention and its … Read More.
Here at the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL), we know our strength comes from the people who make up our movement — from our staff, to our partners, to our steadfast supporters. Our “Meet Our Staff” series will introduce you to some of our amazing staff members, who work behind the scenes every day … Read More.
There are obvious parallels between the climate crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic. As journalist Emily Atkin puts it, “Both are global crises which threaten millions of lives with clear science on how to solve them which governments have been too slow to act on; the same people who promote climate denial are refusing to accept … Read More.
The world is focusing on the devastating health, social, and economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and the often inadequate social policies that are exacerbating the toll it is taking on communities. As a result, the international community’s attention to another human rights crisis — the climate emergency — has waned. Fortunately, last week’s 44th … Read More.
The year 2020 was supposed to be the “super year for nature.” Many people around the world were expecting new, ambitious goals to protect our oceans and biodiversity and to better regulate chemicals and waste. Events were scheduled and hopes were high. After all, this decade is the last real chance to reverse biodiversity loss … Read More.
Here at the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL), we know our strength comes from the people who make up our movement — from our staff, to our partners, to our steadfast supporters. Our “Meet Our Staff” series will introduce you to some of our amazing staff members, who work behind the scenes every day … Read More.
We are in the throes of a cultural reckoning. While that conversation has often felt specific to the United States — and many parts of it are — this is an international reflection process, a deepening of our collective understanding of how white supremacy and racial capitalism have made an indelible mark on our collective … Read More.
Here at the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL), we know our strength comes from the people who make up our movement — from our staff, to our partners, to our steadfast supporters. Our “Meet Our Staff” series will introduce you to some of our amazing staff members, who work behind the scenes every day to … Read More.
The COVID-19 pandemic has brought international travel to a grinding halt as nations around the world imposed travel restrictions to curb the spread of the virus. The suspension of travel has, in turn, played a role in slashing fossil fuel demand to an unprecedented low and likely accelerated the systemic decline of the oil, gas, … Read More.
CIEL joined 45 organizations and individuals on a statement regarding the dismissal of the Executive Director of the Peruvian forest authority SERFOR. The statement is below. We, the undersigned, reject the breach in forest sector institutionality committed by the Ministry of Agriculture in its dismissal of the Executive Director of the Peruvian forest authority SERFOR … Read More.
This morning, CIEL joined over 160 organizations from around the world in the Finance Climate Challenge. The full text of the challenge is included below. To learn more about how your organization can join the Challenge, please visit the Finance Climate Challenge. The undersigned organizations call on the finance sector to end all support for new … Read More.
“If we can stop the flow of money, we can stop the flow of oil.” In January, a coalition of environmental, youth, and Indigenous groups, including the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL), Greenpeace, and the Sierra Club, formed a new, people-powered movement called Stop the Money Pipeline. Our mission: to cut off the cash … Read More.
Last October, over 35 National Human Rights Institutions (NHRIs) from around the world met in Geneva to discuss their role in preventing business-related human rights violations and in facilitating access to justice and remedy for victims of such violations. If I were to list every case where corporations have caused environmental harm and human rights … Read More.
With the world rapidly changing around us, we want to let you know what you can expect from CIEL in the weeks and months ahead. The outbreak and impact of COVID-19 is reminding us of just how interconnected we all are with each other and with our planet. During this period, CIEL is committed to … Read More.
The European Green Deal has been presented as an ambitious plan to transport the European Union to a bright, sustainable future for chemicals management. But is it really? The European Green Deal, presented by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on December 11, 2019, is meant to be the “boarding pass” for the European … Read More.
Following the discovery of oil off the coast of Guyana, fossil fuel industry giants rushed to sign a contract with the government. The resulting “deal” is shockingly unjust and devastatingly reckless. Fossil fuels have profoundly impacted the world in which we live today. Their proponents insist that without them, we cannot continue to enjoy the … Read More.
As plastic continues to suffocate the planet, the first comprehensive legislative plan in the United States to combat plastic pollution, the Break Free From Plastic Pollution Act, was launched today at the US Capitol. The bill, introduced by Senator Tom Udall (D-NM) and Representative Alan Lowenthal (D-CA), seeks to address the plastic pollution crisis by … Read More.
I know, I know, it’s a bit of a trope to talk about the need for a “holistic approach” within UN spaces. I don’t think I’ve ever heard the phrase “synergy” or “breaking silos” so much as in the time I’ve been attending UN events in Geneva. However, despite the cliché messaging, environmental decision-making is … Read More.
There is a very good chance that California taxpayers will be on the hook for $500 million in future costs of plugging so-called “orphan” oil and gas wells, and a good chance the number could be as high as $5.7 billion, according to a new report. The report, released Friday by the California Council on … Read More.
For years, wealthy nations have flooded developing countries with toxic plastic waste under the guise of “recycling.” Now, the international community has almost unanimously agreed to finally tackle the plastic waste trade crisis, but the US is, naturally, attempting to circumvent the new standards. The practice of shipping plastic to other countries has been the … Read More.
The world has changed profoundly in the last thirty years. Time and again, CIEL has helped to shape that change — from helping to link human rights and the environment in law, to making the World Bank accountable to the communities affected by its projects, to creating and strengthening treaties to address a diverse array … Read More.
Chile’s last-minute decision not to host this year’s COP undercuts efforts by local communities and Indigenous Peoples to expose climate-related injustices happening in Santiago’s backyard. In response, CIEL is working with Chilean partners to make sure that Chilean voices are still heard and that human rights concerns remain at the center of the climate negotiations. … Read More.
Against the backdrop of increasing climate destruction and mass mobilizations calling for climate leadership, COP-25 must deliver urgent, rights-based climate action. Climate change dominated the headlines throughout 2019. There were stories of the startling reality of living in a world with 1ºc of warming: climate change-fueled storms like Hurricanes Idai and Kenneth devastated Mozambique, unprecedented … Read More.
I still sometimes think of toxic chemicals in terms of the neon green radioactive goo of The Simpsons. It’s easy to forget that our exposure to toxics is much more insidious and commonplace. It’s in the air we breathe, water we drink, food we eat, and things we buy. The ubiquity of toxic exposure means … Read More.
Fracking destroys communities, endangers health, and perpetuates our addiction to fossil fuels. Yet, US tax dollars are still being poured into these destructive projects. Recently, the Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC) voted to exacerbate the climate crisis, approving over $450 million of US taxpayer dollars to finance two large fracking projects in the region of … Read More.
In December 2017, a picturesque beach-side community along California’s central coast became the newest victim of the climate crisis. The Thomas Fire burned over 280,000 acres, destroyed at least 1,000 structures, displaced over 107,000 people, and cost almost $2 billion in damages. Thomas held the title of the largest wildfire in California’s history for less … Read More.
Is your cotton tote really worse than your plastic bag? Claims promoting plastic as a “climate-friendly” material have managed to inundate the social media landscape lately, perpetuating a fundamental misunderstanding of the link between plastic, fossil fuels, and climate change. Plastic and climate change are not mutually exclusive; they are inherently interconnected. Claims that plastic … Read More.
We know that climate change will affect our environment, but what about our financial security and ability to retire? Climate change poses economic risks, but businesses and pension funds can plan ahead and protect their investments and our futures from climate breakdown. In early July, a group of United States congresspeople introduced the Climate Risk … Read More.
“Land provides the principal basis for human livelihoods.” With this statement the IPCC begins the Summary for Policy Makers of its new Special Report on Climate Change and Land. In the report, the IPCC sends a clear message that we need urgent action to combat the climate crisis. Only by achieving “compatibility between specific land … Read More.
Back in 2017, we shared some juicy updates on the EU’s newly proposed criteria to identify endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs). But what has happened since then? Spoiler alert: The Commission is (still) as slow as molasses, and the chemical lobby can gloat as essential public health protections continue to be delayed. Endocrine-Disrupting Chemicals: A Refresher Endocrine-disrupting … Read More.
In late June, Philip Alston, the UN Special Rapporteur on Extreme Poverty, released a report on climate change and human rights that received significant international coverage. This report does not beat around the bush: we are on the verge of a situation where “the wealthy pay to escape overheating, hunger, and conflict while the rest … Read More.
In May, 187 countries came together to take concrete action to address the plastic crisis. This important new rule will empower countries, particularly in Southeast Asia, to stop a flood of plastic waste from reaching their shores. While it can often take the global community years — even decades — to come to an agreement, it … Read More.
Climate solutions that disregard human rights are not solutions at all. Including proper social and environmental safeguards in climate mitigation and adaptation is crucial for ensuring just, ambitious, and effective climate action. In Bonn, Germany, climate experts are coming together for the latest session of the UN climate negotiations. This is their first meeting since … Read More.
“When our great grandchildren look back on the 21st century, they will see that government sanctioned climate destruction was the constitutional issue of this century.” – Julia Olson Thousands watched on as 21 young people returned to court for the latest hearing in Juliana v. United States, a constitutional climate lawsuit also known as Youth … Read More.
A 42% decline in land-based animal and plant species in Europe and Central Asia. 12 million hectares of forest in the world’s tropical regions lost in 2018. One million species threatened with extinction. These are a small sample of the sobering findings of a recently released 1800-page Global Assessment on Biodiversity.[1] This comprehensive study paints … Read More.