Published April 15, 2026 By Delphine Lévi Alvarès, Global Petrochemicals Campaign Manager at the Center for International Environmental Law. As the global community gathers for the First Conference on Transitioning Away from Fossil Fuels in Santa Marta, the conversation has shifted from whether to phase out fossil fuels to the urgent task of when and … Read More.
Published April 14, 2026 By Nikki Reisch, Director for the Climate and Energy Program, and Lili Fuhr, Director of the Fossil Economy Program, at the Center for International Environmental Law. Governments and climate leaders gather this month in Santa Marta, Colombia for the First Conference on Transitioning Away from Fossil Fuels. This landmark conference is … Read More.
The European Commission is in a toxic relationship with the petrochemicals industry and it is rewriting EU policy. The result: extreme corporate influence is weakening protections for people and the environment.
Published November 10, 2025 By Lisa Tostado, Agrochemicals and Fossil Fuels Campaigner at the Center for International Environmental Law. This piece is part of a multi-part CIEL blog series unpacking the law, politics, and power shaping COP30 — and what it will take to deliver climate justice. As COP30 kicks off, fossil fuels — … Read More.
Published November 6, 2025 By Upasana Khatri, Senior Attorney with CIEL’s Climate and Energy Program. On July 3, 2025, the highest human rights court in the Americas ruled unequivocally: the climate crisis is indeed a human rights emergency. In an Advisory Opinion that will reverberate across the Americas and beyond, the Inter-American Court of … Read More.
Published November 6, 2025 By Barnaby Pace, Senior Researcher at the Center for International Environmental Law. This piece is part of a multi-part CIEL blog series unpacking the law, politics, and power shaping COP30 — and what it will take to deliver climate justice. Artificial Intelligence (AI) products are everywhere— from, writing and research assistants, … Read More.
Published November 4, 2025 By Bruna Campos, Senior Campaigner for the Climate and Energy Program at the Center for International Environmental Law. This is part of a multi-part CIEL blog series unpacking the law, politics, and power shaping COP30 — and what it will take to deliver climate justice. This year’s climate talks are starting … Read More.
Published October 2, 2025 By Taylor Hodge, US Agrochemicals and Fossil Fuels Campaigner, Lisa Tostado, Agrochemicals and Fossil Fuel Campaigner, and Lindsey Jurca Durland, Senior Communications Campaign Specialist at the Center for International Environmental Law Fossil fuels permeate our food systems — from transportation and energy to plastic packaging. Estimates show that food systems consume … Read More.
Louisiana advocate reflects on two decades of climate devastation and the choices that are shaping her home and our climate future Published August 28, 2025 By Jane Patton, US Fossil Economy Campaign Manager at the Center for International Environmental Law I was five the first time I saw a tree ripped from the ground by … Read More.
Stronger storms and a failing insurance system keep exposing deep inequalities and pushing families into a growing housing crisis. Published August 25, 2025 By Charles Slidders, Manager and Senior Attorney, Financial Strategies, and Alexandra Colon-Amil, Communications Campaign Specialist. It’s been 20 years since Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf Coast of the United States, wreaking havoc … Read More.
Will states lead — or leave US communities to face disaster alone? Published on August 21, 2025. By Lindsey Jurca, Senior Communications Campaign Specialist, Charles Slidders, Manager and Senior Attorney, and Barnaby Pace, Senior Researcher at the Center for International Environmental Law. A deadly storm has already claimed at least 120 lives and caused widespread … Read More.
Published August 6, 2025 By Andrés Del Castillo, Senior Attorney, Helionor de Anzizu, Senior Attorney, Joie Chowdhury, Senior Attorney, Dharmesh Shah, Consulting Senior Campaigner (Plastics Treaty), and Cate Bonacini, Senior Communications Campaign Specialist at the Center for International Environmental Law, Semee Rhee, Global Policy Advisor, Break Free from Plastic, and with the support of Alexandra … Read More.
Published July 22, 2025 By David Azoulay, Senior Attorney and Director of Environmental Health program, Giulia Carlini, Manager and Senior Attorney, and Lindsey Jurca Durland, Senior Campaign Specialist at the Center for International Environmental Law. Stakes — and nerves — are high heading into what is supposed to be the final scheduled round of Plastics … Read More.
Published July 21, 2025 Nikki Reisch, Director of the Climate and Energy Program at the Center for International Environmental Law, Johanna Gusman, Senior Attorney at the Center for International Environmental Law, and Upasana Khatri, Senior Attorney at the Center for International Environmental Law. There were no oil company executives present at the International Court of … Read More.
Published July 21, 2025 By Joie Chowdhury, Senior Attorney at the Center for International Environmental Law, and Sébastien Duyck, Senior Attorney and Human Rights & Climate Campaign Manager at the Center for International Environmental Law. On July 23, 2025, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) will deliver a landmark Advisory Opinion (AO) on States’ legal … Read More.
When Will US Policymakers Face the Reality of Climate Change? Published July 14, 2025 By Conor MacDonald, Financial Strategies Attorney, Charles Slidders, Manager and Senior Attorney, and Lindsey Jurca, Senior Communications Campaign Specialist, at the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) More than 120 deaths have been reported, and at least 161 people remain missing … Read More.
Published June 3, 2025 By Bruna Campos, Senior Campaigner, Offshore Oil and Gas at the Center for International Environmental Law. World leaders gathering from June 9 to 13 in Nice, France, for the 3rd United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC3), have a crucial opportunity — and an urgent imperative — to recognize that the ocean needs … Read More.
Published on June 2, 2025 By Jessi Parfait, Senior US Carbon Capture Campaigner, and Lindsey Jurca, Senior Communications Campaign Specialist at the Center for International Environmental Law. In a major win for frontline communities in Cancer Alley, industrial gas giant Air Products announced a significant retreat from its so-called “Louisiana Clean Energy Complex.” While the … Read More.
Published on April 8, 2025 By Taylor Hodge, US Agrochemicals and Fossil Fuels Campaigner, and Lindsey Jurca Durland, Senior Communications Campaign Specialist at the Center for International Environmental Law. Based on an article on ammonia by Lisa Tostado, Agrochemicals and Fossil Fuels Campaigner at the Center for International Environmental Law, originally published in the November 2024 … Read More.
As risky geoengineering experiments proliferate, existing laws already restrict them — but enforcement and stronger protections are needed.
Published March 3, 2025 By Lindsay Fenlock, Senior Researcher at the Center for International Environmental Law, and Charles Slidders, Senior Attorney, Financial Strategies at the Center for International Environmental Law, and Nikki Reisch, Director of the Climate & Energy Program at the Center for International Environmental Law. This is the fifth analysis in a multi-part … Read More.
Published January 30, 2025 By Silvia Pastorelli, EU Petrochemicals Campaigner at the Center for International Environmental Law. As global temperatures soar and the petrochemical industry’s growth trajectory accelerates, the European Union, as well as the world, is at a crossroads. Will new EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s new policies prioritize climate and communities … Read More.
Published November 7, 2024 By Erika Lennon, Senior Attorney for the Climate and Energy Program at the Center for International Environmental Law, and Rossella Recupero, Communications Campaign Specialist at the Center for International Environmental Law. The stakes are once again high as the world heads to the 29th Conference of the Parties on Climate Change … Read More.
Published September 24, 2024 By Barnaby Pace, Senior Researcher at the Center for International Environmental Law, and Lindsey Jurca Durland, Communications Campaigns Specialist at the Center for International Environmental Law The US is on the brink of making a major climate misstep. According to a new CIEL analysis, planned petrochemical projects across the US could … Read More.
As climate risks increase, insurers are employing “bluelining”—a modern equivalent of redlining. This practice, while not illegal, disproportionately affects minority and lower-income residents, shifting the financial burden of climate change onto those least able to manage it.
Published July 23, 2024 By Lindsay Fenlock, Senior Researcher at the Center for International Environmental Law, Charles Slidders, Senior Attorney, Financial Strategies at the Center for International Environmental Law, and Nikki Reisch, Director of the Climate & Energy Program at the Center for International Environmental Law. This is the second analysis in a multi-part series, … Read More.
Published June 27, 2024 By Upasana Khatri, Senior Attorney at the Center for International Environmental Law, and Joie Chowdhury, Senior Attorney, Climate Litigation and Accountability at the Center for International Environmental Law. On May 21, 2024, the court for the world’s oceans became the first international court to declare that States have a legal duty to … Read More.
Published June 26, 2024 By Lindsay Fenlock, Senior Researcher at the Center for International Environmental Law, Charles Slidders, Senior Attorney, Financial Strategies at the Center for International Environmental Law, and Nikki Reisch, Director of the Climate & Energy Program at the Center for International Environmental Law. This is the first analysis in a multi-part series, … 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.
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 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.
This analysis outlines the main critical areas of the upcoming negotiations and key demands from civil society ahead of the COP27 Opening Plenary.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
“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.
Across the planet, people are increasingly feeling the impacts of climate change on their enjoyment of human rights. From loss of human life brought about by climate-related disasters, to threats to food security and access to clean water, no country is immune. The urgency of action to address climate change — and the scale of … Read More.
Now that the Supreme Court has ruled the World Bank can be sued, what’s next for the organization? This article originally appeared on TheNation.com. Until recently the World Bank enjoyed absolute immunity in the United States from lawsuits. But a US Supreme Court decision on February 27 opens the door for individuals and communities around … Read More.
“Planet hotter than my boyfriend,” “I’ve seen smarter cabinets at IKEA,” “It’s getting hot in here, so take off all your coals” — these are just some of the many protest signs carried by a mobilization of tens of thousands of students worldwide demanding action to prevent climate change. With strikes in Australia, Belgium, Canada, … Read More.
On February 13, the Center for International Environmental Law launched a major new report examining the repeated and ongoing instances in which fossil fuel companies played a disproportionate role in promotion of carbon capture and storage, carbon dioxide removal strategies, and other geoengineering techniques. As we expected it to do, the report sparked excitement among … Read More.
From March 11th to 15th, Ministers of the Environment from 193 countries will gather in Nairobi, Kenya, for the fourth meeting of the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA) with the potential to propel our society into a new era of sustainability. UNEA, the official governing body of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and the highest-level … Read More.
This blog post was originally posted by the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation. There is a global health crisis hiding in plain sight. It’s being transported along our roadways and released into our skies. It surrounds us in our homes and offices. It plagues our oceans, our waterways, and our soil. It’s even in the food we … Read More.
As the global transition to a low-carbon economy continued to accelerate, the impacts and responses to climate change dominated the news in 2018. The billions of dollars in property damages, lost businesses, and declines in state and local tax revenue in the US continues to reinforce concerns about the urgency of the climate crisis and … Read More.
We are overwhelmed by plastic pollution. This is the last call to save the planet. Marine plastic pollution is now under the magnifying glass of a group of experts tasked with recommending a global response to the plastics crisis. Here’s what to expect at their meeting next week. Plastics are a product of the fossil … Read More.
At the climate negotiations this December, countries must adopt guidelines for implementing the Paris Agreement at the national level. The Paris Implementation Guidelines are essential to ensuring that climate action around the world keeps global temperature rise below 1.5°C while respecting and protecting human rights. But after multiple rounds of talks, including a special session … Read More.
In August 2015, 21 young people brought a federal climate lawsuit against the US government. The landmark trial was set to begin October 29, 2018, but the Supreme Court recently granted a temporary stay of the case following yet another request from the Trump Administration. Attorneys for the youth plaintiffs have filed a response pointing … Read More.
In the 1960s, investing in plastics was a safe bet, and the plastics boom showed no sign of slowing down. But in 2018, the future of the plastic industry is less clear. In the US, plastic production is ramping up as natural gas fracking has led to extremely cheap feedstocks for plastic production. The plastic … Read More.
Videos of plastic waves hitting pristine waters in Southeast Asia and the Caribbean shocked the world. Those images soon became viral, making us wonder: How did plastic end up there? How can we stop this? Of course, plastics don’t just “end up” on developing countries’ shores. It all starts with fossil fuels being extracted and … Read More.
Today, the Trump Administration released the Safe Affordable Fuel-Efficient (SAFE) Vehicles Rule that would loosen the carbon emissions standards for passenger cars and light trucks for 2021 through 2026 and roll back the Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) program, which set standards to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve fuel economy for 2017-2025 cars and … Read More.
In yet another frontier of the expanding struggle for climate justice, Rhode Island is the first US state to sue fossil fuel companies for the impacts of climate change. Climate change — with its rising sea levels and more frequent and severe natural disasters, like 2012’s Superstorm Sandy — is already impacting and extensively damaging … Read More.
On April 23, 2018, the Department of Labor (DOL) issued new guidance for private sector employee benefit plans about fiduciary responsibility in the exercise of shareholder rights and in weighing environmental, social, and governance (ESG) factors in investment decision-making. At a time when public pension beneficiaries are expressing concerns about the prudence of retaining fossil … Read More.
On March 7, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals issued an order denying the US government’s request for a writ of mandamus in youth climate lawsuit Juliana v. US. Now, this landmark climate case returns to the district court, with the trial date set for October 29, 2018. What is Juliana v. US about? In … Read More.
On January 4, the US Department of the Interior (DoI) released a new offshore drilling proposal. The proposal, formally called the Draft Proposed Program for the Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Leasing Program for 2019-2024, follows Mr. Trump’s April 2017 Executive Order to open much of the United States’ oceans to offshore drilling exploration. … Read More.
Our oceans, river systems, marine animals, and health are being threatened by a pollutant that’s all around us, yet sometimes invisible to the eye: plastics. Whether it’s an empty bag of chips floating in a nearby stream or microplastics ingested by both humans and marine animals, plastics have become a ubiquitous and destructive commodity. As … Read More.
A new frontier opened today in the struggle for climate justice as EarthRights International (ERI) brings the fight for climate accountability from the coasts to the mountains. In a new case filed in Colorado District Court, Boulder County, San Miguel County, and the City of Boulder filed suit against ExxonMobil and Suncor Energy demanding that the … Read More.
Industry is currently investing billions in capacity to expand plastic production. But as the world phases out fossil fuels and awareness of the dangers of plastics increases, it begs the question: Is plastic production a good long-term investment? Around the world, countries, cities, and individuals are ramping up efforts to phase out fossil fuels, but … Read More.
Around the world, the connection between human rights and a healthy environment is becoming ever more obvious — as communities are harmed by mining projects, as people are displaced by climate change, and as cities and towns are devastated by extreme weather. That’s why the historic decision of the Inter-American Court on Human Rights in March was … Read More.
Single-use plastics — such as plastic packaging, light-weight plastic bags, disposable cups, and food containers — make up an estimated half of the plastics found on EU beaches. To tackle this issue of global concern, the EU is starting to take action to curb the amount of plastic entering the oceans from its shores. On … Read More.
Around 25.8 million tons of plastic waste are generated in Europe every year, of which less than 30 percent is collected for recycling. Of this amount, a significant share leaves the EU to be treated in other countries, where different environmental standards may apply. From the EU alone, 150,000 to 500,000 tons of plastic waste … Read More.
In what has become the go-to intimidation tactic for Exxon and its allies, Exxon has announced that it is launching yet another baseless, vexatious discovery process designed to prove that every city, state, journalist, and nonprofit that investigates the company is part of a massive conspiracy to suppress its constitutional rights. Exxon’s latest targets (and … Read More.
On December 12, 2017, hundreds of investors, governments, and civil society representatives joined French President Emmanuel Macron at the One Planet Summit to mark the second anniversary of the Paris Agreement. President Macron—joined by UN Secretary General António Guterres, Work Bank Group President Jim Yong Kim, and others—encouraged public and private financial institutions to accelerate … Read More.
From November 27 to December 6 in Nairobi, Kenya, the CIEL team will participate in the third meeting of the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA-3). UNEA, the main governing body of the United Nations Environment Programme, is the highest political forum on environmental matters, involving all 193 Member States of the UN, as well as … Read More.
On November 13, a German appeals court agreed to review evidence supporting arguments by Peruvian farmer Saul Luciano Lliuya in his case against German energy giant RWE for the company’s contributions to climate change impacts that are now threatening his Andean home. Lliuya argues that RWE, as one of the world’s biggest emitters of carbon … Read More.
September has offered a sobering glimpse of the growing frequency and intensity of extreme weather patterns and their horrifying impacts. Record breaking heat, storms, and floods are being described with a growing collection of superlatives: hottest, wettest, most, and worst. As research scientist Katharine Hayhoe explains, as the world warms, more rapid evaporation increases the … Read More.
On August 7, 2017 two shareholders of the Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA) filed suit in the Federal Court of Australia alleging that by failing to include a discussion about climate risk in the Bank’s 2016 Annual Report to Shareholders, the Bank had not given “a true and fair view of the financial position and … Read More.
The Saudi government, in an effort to modernize and diversify the economy of Saudi Arabia, is planning to bring Saudi Aramco – an oil company with exclusive rights to Saudi Arabia’s vast oil and gas reserves – public with an IPO. This decision has raised eyebrows, as most observers expect that Aramco’s IPO, even with … Read More.
This week, three California municipalities – San Mateo County, Marin County, and Imperial Beach – filed complaints against thirty-seven fossil fuel companies, seeking damages for the impacts of climate change. The plaintiffs argue that sea level rise has already done damage and cost money to study and prepare for. These costs will only grow as … Read More.
Exxon may be perpetrating an ongoing fraud on the public. Over the last two years, reporting by the Los Angeles Times, the Center for International Environmental Law and others has exposed that Exxon and other oil companies have known about climate change and its potentially catastrophic impacts for at least 60 years. Instead of sounding … Read More.
On a sleepless night scrolling through my Facebook posts, one mesmerizing image caught my attention. It said: [“It’s pretty amazing that our society has reached a point where the effort necessary to extract oil from the ground, ship it to a refinery, turn it into plastic, shape it appropriately, truck it to a store, buy … Read More.
While much of the global community is focused on reducing greenhouse gas emissions and addressing climate impacts, the US and Mexico are rushing to access and exploit Mexico’s untapped oil and gas reserves. Mexico’s recent energy reform has opened the doors to private foreign investment; meanwhile, the upcoming renegotiation of NAFTA will compound current changes … Read More.
In January, Donald Trump officially withdrew from the Trans-Pacific Partnership. Today, he notified Congress of his intention to “modernize” and renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), starting a 90 day clock on reopening these negotiations. NAFTA, a free trade agreement negotiated by the governments of the United States, Mexico, and Canada, entered into force in January 1994. … Read More.
Exxon’s efforts to avoid accountability and the company’s campaign of intimidation against CIEL and partners just hit a huge roadblock… In 2015, the New York and Massachusetts Attorneys General opened investigations into whether ExxonMobil misled consumers, investors, and the public about the science linking the burning of their products to climate change. In an effort … Read More.
What is Trillion Dollar Transformation? TDT is a project undertaken by Mercer and CIEL to explore the financial and legal circumstances facing public pension fund fiduciaries in the context of climate change and the financial risks it poses. It encompasses one report each from Mercer and CIEL, and will be followed by in-person events to … Read More.
By Steven Feit, Staff Attorney In order to meet stated climate goals, tremendous capital must be shifted from investments in fossil fuels to renewable energy and other clean assets. The divestment movement, which urges investors to eliminate their holdings in fossil fuels, now has over $3.4 trillion in assets under management pledged to divestment. The … Read More.
By Carroll Muffett, CIEL President & CEO Two years ago, the early entry into force of the Paris Climate Agreement would have been unthinkable. Today, it is part of a new normal. The world is moving to make its vision of a safer climate a reality, and CIEL is a leader in this fight. … Read More.
By Steven Feit, Law Fellow On Tuesday, May 3rd, CIEL President Carroll Muffett testified before the California Senate Judiciary Committee in support of Senate Bill 1161. SB 1161 (also known as the “California Climate Science Truth and Accountability Act of 2016”) is at once a common-sense measure and a potential landmark in efforts to ensure … Read More.
By Carroll Muffett, CIEL President & CEO and Steven Feit, Law Fellow The document trove which we call “Smoke And Fumes” actually began under a different name. Internally, the project was referred to as “What They Knew” for most of its life. This reflected the fact that the research was not about finding the … Read More.
By Muriel Moody Korol, Senior Attorney, Climate & Energy Program Right before Christmas, Moody’s announced that it is considering downgrading the credit rating of Adani Abbot Point Terminal Pty Ltd. (Abbot Point). Abbot Point is the case profiled in CIEL’s Report (Mis)Calculated Risk. CIEL’s report illustrates how rating agencies are failing to incorporate a dynamic change … Read More.
Your energy and advocacy sparked a global momentum shift over the past year, and we are on the cusp of true, transformative change. On all fronts, you have defended your right to a healthy planet. With your support, you help CIEL… Advance Climate Justice For three years, we’ve highlighted the growing legal and financial risks … Read More.
By Muriel Moody Korol, CIEL Senior Attorney & Melissa Shapiro, Legal Intern The Adani Abbot Point Terminal Pty Ltd (Abbot Point), a coal export terminal near the Great Barrier Reef in Australia, was the case studied in (Mis)Calculated Risk, which illustrated how rating agencies are failing to incorporate a dynamic change trajectory and thus … Read More.
By Muriel Moody Korol, CIEL Senior Attorney & Melissa Shapiro, Legal Intern With COP21 on the horizon, countries are kicking their commitments to reduce carbon emissions into high gear. Despite these national commitments, many financial actors are carrying on as though it’s business as usual—in other words, financing projects under the presumption that the current … Read More.
By Muriel Moody Korol, Senior Attorney, Climate & Energy Program This is part 3 of a 3 part blog series about recent analyses on climate change and finance: Citi’s ENERGY DARWINISM II: Why a Low Carbon Future Doesn’t Have to Cost the Earth, Economist Intelligence Unit’s The cost of inaction: Recognising the value at risk … Read More.
By Alyssa Johl, Senior Attorney, CIEL Climate & Energy Program Reprinted with permission from the Business and Human Rights Resource Center. This summer, we celebrated a big win for the climate. In a lawsuit brought by Urgenda and nearly 900 co-plaintiffs against the Dutch government (Urgenda Foundation et al. v. The Netherlands), the District Court … Read More.
By Muriel Moody Korol, Senior Attorney, Climate & Energy Program As I wrote about in Part 1 of this blog series, three recent analyses ENERGY DARWINISM II: Why a Low Carbon Future Doesn’t Have to Cost the Earth, The cost of inaction: Recognising the value at risk from climate change and Investing in a Time … Read More.
By Muriel Moody Korol, Senior Attorney, Climate & Energy Program With the recent tumble in world stock markets, prices for fossil fuels have continued their year-plus collapse. Prices for coal and oil are currently low and volatile and now look to be firmly entrenched in systemic oversupply – not a great status quo for an … Read More.
By David Marín Cortéz, Legal Intern There was a lot of expectation around Pope Francis’ encyclical on the environment entitled “Laudato Si’” or “Praise Be to You.” The papal encyclical deals with current environmental issues, with a special focus on climate change. Undoubtedly, such a document is going to have a meaningful impact on the … Read More.
By Alyssa Johl, Senior Attorney, Climate & Energy Program In a landmark case (Urgenda v. Netherlands), the Dutch advocacy group Urgenda will argue today that the Dutch government’s emissions reduction target is not adequate to prevent dangerous climate change and, as a result, poses a threat to human rights in the Netherlands and in countries … Read More.
Climate Change threatens to destroy the ecological balance of our world… and our pocketbooks? For those who have invested money in fossil fuels, it’s time to be concerned. By Blanche Helbling, Communications Intern Two of the largest fossil fuel companies in the world, BP and Shell, each recently received shareholder resolutions asking them to divulge … Read More.
Under pressure from the global community (including CIEL), Norway’s Government Pension Fund Global has divested from some companies in the fossil fuel industry and is considering divesting from more. The Fund announced this week that during 2014 it divested from more than 20 companies with operations in coal mining, oil sands, and coal-fired power production. … Read More.