Time’s up: The Council of Europe Must Put The Right to a Healthy Environment in Law
On its 75th anniversary, over 400 civil society organizations urge the Council of Europe to keep up with the times by recognizing this vital right.
The Inter-American Court of Human Rights Must Prioritize Corporate Accountability in Climate Opinion
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.
The Global Coalition for the Right to a Healthy Environment: Making History & Protecting Our Collective Future
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.
COP28: A Crucial Crossroads for Fossil Fuel Phaseout and Human Rights
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.
Only Two Days Left to Get It Right: a Loss and Damage Fund That Promotes Human Rights
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.
At Historic ITLOS Hearings, States Stake Out Positions on Climate Duties and Ocean Protection
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.
The Time is Now: Transitional Committee Must Make Progress on a Rights-Compatible Loss and Damage Fund
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.
Litmus Test for the Council Of Europe: Time to Recognize and Protect the Right to Healthy Environment at the Reykjavik Summit
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.
Latest IPCC Report Warns: We Do Not Have Time to Waste on False Solutions
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.
Realizing a Fund that Brings Justice to People Harmed by the Climate Crisis
States met for the first meeting on the Loss and Damage Fund in Egypt. We explore emerging trends and challenges ahead.
COP27 Must Treat Loss and Damage as the Human Rights Crisis It Is
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.
COP27: A Turning Point for Climate and Human Rights
This analysis outlines the main critical areas of the upcoming negotiations and key demands from civil society ahead of the COP27 Opening Plenary.
False solutions prevail over real ambition at COP26
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.
Real ambition vs. false solutions: What’s at stake during COP26?
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.
What to Watch During the Climate Change Conference Session of the Subsidiary Bodies
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.
Pushing for the Environment at the United Nations: An Inside Look at the 45th Human Rights Council
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.
From COVID-19 to climate change, governments have a human rights obligation to listen to the science
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.
Addressing the threats to human rights in a changing climate: Reflections on the Human Rights Council’s 44th session
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.
Civil Aviation Bailouts: Violating Our Children’s Rights?
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.
How National Human Rights Institutions Have an Important Role in the Climate Accountability Movement
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.
Amid Climate Crisis, Will Governments Deliver Ambitious Climate Action in Madrid?
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.
The Climate Crisis is Threatening Your Rights. Now Do You Care?
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.
Under Threat, Land Has a Critical Role to Play in Addressing Climate Crisis
“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.
Inadequate and in denial? Reflecting on 10 years of climate change at the Human Rights Council
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.
Getting Article 6 Right with Human Rights
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.
All Eyes Were on Juliana as Youth Faced the Latest Fight in their Climate Lawsuit against the Government
“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.
Why Climate Campaigners Should Care about the UN Human Rights Monitoring Bodies
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.
School Strike for Climate Finds Support in an Unsuspected Place: Our Human Rights Treaties
“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.
Time to Roll Up Our Sleeves: Moving toward the Paris Implementation Guidelines
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.
Groundhog Day: Youth Plaintiffs (Again) File for Landmark Climate Trial to Proceed
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.
The Time is Now for the UN to Formally Recognize the Right to a Healthy and Sustainable Environment
Their names are Rashida, Anne, and Carlos. Like millions of others, they are suffering from the adverse health impacts of pollution, being forcefully relocated due to the impacts of climate change, or losing a relative who was assassinated for standing up for the ecosystems on which his or her community depends. For them, there is … Read More.
Last Chance: Progress Needed in Bangkok to Realize Full Vision of Paris Climate Agreement
In next week’s final preparatory meeting before the Paris Climate Agreement Guidelines are finalized, Parties must more explicitly address the social dimensions of climate policies. The adoption of the Paris Climate Agreement in 2015 offered the promise an integrated approach to climate action and human rights. Indeed, the agreement was the first global environmental treaty … Read More.
Promoting Public Participation in Climate Action: Not Just Good Practice, but a Legal Duty of European Governments
European governments have the opportunity (and the legal duty) to promote public participation in the implementation of climate action, yet some fail to do so. The 2015 Paris Climate Agreement was celebrated not only for bringing together all countries around the urgency of climate action, but also for emphasizing the importance of people-centered climate action. … Read More.
Climate Change and Our Children: Youth Bring Government to Court in Juliana v. US
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.
Propaganda or Participation? Offshore Drilling and the Democratic Decision-Making Process
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.
Public Participation & Rights a Priority at Upcoming Climate Meeting
From April 30 to May 10, countries will come together for a United Nations climate meeting, to continue to make progress toward implementing the Paris Agreement and meeting key goals at this year’s COP24 climate conference in Poland. To ensure positive climate outcomes that benefit both the planet and communities across the world, we must … Read More.
Rights for Ambition: Talanoa Dialogue presents opportunity to increase climate ambition while respecting rights
When countries adopted the Paris Agreement in 2015, they agreed to convene a “facilitative dialogue,” which would allow countries to come together to evaluate the world’s progress toward the goals of the Agreement. At last year’s climate talks, countries adopted the Talanoa Dialogue as the concept for this facilitative dialogue. The Talanoa Dialogue platform provides … Read More.
$600 Million Loan from Inter-American Development Bank will Support Controversial Energy Reform in Mexico
In 2013, Mexico’s president Enrique Peña Nieto Peña Nieto touted the country’s energy reform as a “historic opportunity” to “transform and elevate the quality of life of all Mexicans.” The constitutional changes, which ended decades-long monopolies on oil, gas, and electricity held by two state-owned companies, have both Mexican and foreign private competitors salivating at … Read More.
Court Recognizes Right to a Healthy Environment at a Crucial Moment
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.
Tackling Gender Disparity at the Intersection of Human Rights and Climate Change
On the eve of International Women’s Day, the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) adopted a new General Recommendation on the gender-related dimensions of disaster risk reduction in the context of climate change. It marks a major milestone in tackling the particular impacts climate change has on the rights of women and girls … Read More.
B.19 Offers Opportunity for Green Climate Fund to Promote Human Rights in Climate Projects
From Monday, February 26, to Thursday, March 1, the Board of the Green Climate Fund (GCF) will meet for its nineteenth meeting (B.19) in Songdo, South Korea. Among the issues on the agenda are key policies to protect the environment and the rights of indigenous peoples, women, and local communities in GCF-funded projects. CIEL and … Read More.
Human Rights and Climate Change at COP23: Inspiring Advocacy to Overcome Pessimism
At the 23rd Conference of the Parties (COP23) in international climate negotiations, two inspiring and important steps were made toward incorporating human rights and social principles in climate action, in spite of slow progress on establishing the rules to implement the Paris Agreement. At COP23, negotiators met to create the rulebook (to be adopted in … Read More.
Māori Communities Bring Climate Claims against New Zealand under the Public Trust Doctrine
With growing concerns about whether government is adequately responding to the impacts of climate change, citizens worldwide are bringing climate litigation cases to the courts. This summer, the Mataatua District Māori Council (“the Māori Council”) filed an action with the Waitangi Tribunal to grant an urgent hearing against the New Zealand government. According to the … Read More.
COP23 is an Opportunity to Emphasize Human Rights in Climate Action
Building on the momentum in the two years since the adoption of the Paris Agreement, the upcoming COP23 is an opportunity for negotiators to reiterate the importance of human rights in climate action and take concrete steps toward implementing the agreement at a global scale. There is no doubt: climate change is a human rights … Read More.
Rising Climate-Related Displacement Highlights the Need For a Human Rights-Based Approach to Protecting Migrants
With 2018 fast approaching, countries around the world are joining together to draft two global compacts, the first one for safe, orderly, and regular migration and the second on refugees. As countries deliberate on how to improve global governance on migration and displacement, they should specifically address the impacts of climate change on migration and … Read More.
GCF: Don’t Gag Civil Society. Public Participation is not a Check-the-Box Exercise.
The last meeting of the Board of the Green Climate Fund was markedly less transparent and raised yet more barriers to civil society participation. As the Board prepares to meet in Cairo for its 18th Board Meeting (B.18) tomorrow, Board members should reevaluate their actions toward their civil society colleagues and recommit to upholding public participation … Read More.
Unbearably Hot, Wet, Windy, and Burning: Science Shows Us Who is Liable for the Earth’s New Normal in an Age of Climate Consequences
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.
The Green Climate Fund: A Refresher
It’s a been a while since we’ve written about the Green Climate Fund (GCF), but given its recent popularity in the media stemming from Trump’s complete mischaracterization of it when declaring his intent to withdraw the US from the Paris Agreement, we wanted to give you a refresher on it. What it does. Contrary to … Read More.
US joins UN resolution to protect human rights from climate change
The US said climate change had “a range of implications for the effective enjoyment of human rights,” in a departure from recent diplomacy and Trump’s rhetoric Countries agreed that the human rights of children must be protected as they are particularly vulnerable to climate change (Pic: UNICEF) The UN Human Rights Council has adopted a resolution … Read More.
Public Participation Both Winner and Loser at UN Climate Negotiations in Bonn
By Erika Lennon and Sébastien Duyck Undeterred by the political posturing of the US government, the United Nations climate negotiations continued to make progress towards the development of practical guidelines to assist governments in translating the Paris Agreement into concrete action. For the past two weeks, nearly 200 governments and hundreds of representatives from civil … Read More.
Why We March For Science
On Earth Day – April 22, 2017 – in Washington, DC (and in satellite marches in 600+ cities across the globe) thousands of people will come together in a show of force in the March for Science. We march to show our support for the research, analysis, and methods that seek to solve the most … Read More.
Climate policy must protect children’s rights, experts tell UN panel
Governments must do more to protect the human rights of children as they try to tackle climate change, representatives of the UN and its member states have told high-level panel in Geneva this week. Dozens of states spoke at the meeting, none argued that the rights of children were adequately protected under current policies. The special meeting was convened … Read More.
Panama Withdraws Problematic Barro Blanco Dam Project from CDM Registry
By Ariadni Chatziantoniou and Kelsey Alford-Jones In early November 2016, Panama withdrew the Barro Blanco hydroelectric power plant project from the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) – the first time a host country has withdrawn a CDM registration due to human rights concerns. Specifically, the project failed to respect the rights of the indigenous Ngäbe people. … Read More.
The Growing Climate Rights Movement
As the international community prepares for the Paris Climate Agreement to take effect on November 4, there are many reasons to celebrate this historic moment. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon shared his reflections: “What once seemed unthinkable is now unstoppable. Strong international support for the Paris Agreement entering into force is a testament to the urgency … Read More.
Will UNEA-2 be able to deliver on the high hopes placed on it?
Looking back at the genesis of the United Nations Environmental Assembly (UNEA) could give us a leads on the answer to that pointed question. The architects of the Rio+20 Outcome Document faced the challenge of strengthening the institutional framework for sustainable development. In particular, it was recognized then that the UN Environment Program (UNEP) needed … Read More.
In Support of Climate Science Truth and Accountability
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 climate accountability before the courts. … Read More.
Reflections on Getting A Global Climate Agreement
Now that I have had some time to reflect on (and recover from) our time in Paris, I want to share some thoughts on what we achieved through our unprecedented campaign to include human rights protections in the 2015 Paris Agreement, and how we got there. This effort was long in the making. Since 2009, … Read More.
2015 Highlights: Top 10 Accomplishments
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.
For Human Rights (Every) Day: Climate Change Negotiators in Paris Must Support 1.5C Goal
Here in Paris, at the negotiations for the next global climate change agreement, delegates from 195 countries are discussing, and arguably deciding, the fate of our future. Following on the commitments those countries made when they joined the 1992 United Nations climate change treaty, they are now trying to create a way forward through 2020 … Read More.
Liability for Climate (In)action: Who will be next?
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 of The Hague found that the government “acted negligently” when … Read More.
Rethink the Development Model: Thoughts from the Catholic Church’s message for Latin America
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 climate debate at both the international … Read More.
Incorporating social and environmental protections in issues related to land, land use, and forests
Let’s seize the opportunities to advance rights related to forests and land in Bonn! Here’s how. Forests play a vital role in supporting the lives and livelihoods of indigenous peoples and local communities, protecting biodiversity, and, yes, mitigating climate change. For years, Parties, civil society and indigenous groups have been working out how to address … Read More.
So you want to include land in the new climate agreement? Then take a rights-based approach.
The land sector accounts for almost one-third of global carbon emissions. Including agriculture, forests, and other land uses, the land sector acts as both a creator and a remover of emissions. Land is central to food production, livelihoods, cultural integrity, and biodiversity. Thus, the sector is unique and plays an important role in both mitigating … Read More.
Landmark Dutch Lawsuit Calls on Government to Protect the Climate on Behalf of Present and Future Generations
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 around the world. Specifically, Urgenda claims that the Dutch … Read More.
Kudos to Norway for divesting from 20+ fossil fuel companies
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.
Green Climate Fund Dos and Don’ts: The Case of REDD+
Last month, the Board of the Green Climate Fund (GCF) met in Barbados for its 8th session. What’s the GCF? It’s a financial institution that is expected to channel billions of dollars to developing countries to help them in their efforts to mitigate and adapt to climate change. (Check out some of our blogs for … Read More.
Dear Tri-Caucus: Introducing the Tri-Caucus (Part II)
Dearest Friends, Colleagues, It is hard to believe that a year has passed since we formed the Tri-Caucus to improve coordination between those who focus specifically on rights related to REDD+. As we finalize last-minute logistics for the upcoming UN climate negotiations – the Conference of the Parties (COP 20) in Lima, Peru – I … Read More.
Introducing the Tri-Caucus: “It takes a village”
In the world of UN climate negotiations, in which 194 official parties, as well as hundreds of observers and representatives from civil society and indigenous groups, have different and complex agendas and priorities, meaningful progress to reduce emissions is a challenging feat. Ensuring that progress respects human rights and environmental integrity is even more so. … Read More.
Catalyzing Action on Climate Change: Stopping Denialism and the Role of “Business”
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s Climate Summit on September 23, 2014 is expected to “serve as a public platform for leaders at the highest level – all UN Member States, as well as finance, business, civil society and local leaders from public and private sectors – to catalyze ambitious action on the ground to reduce emissions and strengthen … Read More.
We are all Forest Defenders: CIEL launches key rights tools for YOU to push for stronger international policy on REDD+
When you work on international environmental law and policy issues as I do, it can sometimes be challenging to feel optimistic. However, I am pleased to share at least two reasons to be hopeful. As the global community prepares for the climate discussions at the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change in Bonn, Germany, CIEL … Read More.
Going back to Bali, to Bali, to Bali…
We’re reporting back from Bali, Indonesia, where the February meeting of the Green Climate Fund (GCF) Board took place, and excited to share an update on the progress we made and the challenges we face ahead! The GCF was created by the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change in 2010 to serve as the primary … Read More.
GREEN CLIMATE FUND: Show me the money (and safeguards!)
Today, the Green Climate Fund (GCF) meets for its 5th board meeting in Paris, France. Established by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in 2010, the GCF promised to be the main vehicle for channeling billions of dollars pledged by developed counties to support climate mitigation and adaptation activities in developing countries. … Read More.
CIEL and enviro groups file lawsuit against US Export Import Bank over coal export investment
Today, CIEL and other environmental groups filed a lawsuit against the US Export-Import Bank (Ex-Im Bank) challenging the federal government’s financing for coal exports from the United States. In 2012, the Ex-Im Bank ─ a federal agency that has been funneling billions of US tax dollars into polluting energy projects abroad ─ provided a $90 … Read More.
Vienna +20 Action Week
In June 2013, Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) around the world gathered at Vienna for the 20th anniversary of the 1993 World Conference on Human Rights and its Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action. The CSOs held a two-day conference to precede the Vienna+20 Advancing the Protection of Human Rights Conference on June 25th organized by … Read More.
After Doha: “We will not be silenced!”
Now that the dust from Doha has settled and 2013 is off and running, we’ve had a chance to reflect on how the UN climate talks have, once again, left us asking… What have we achieved? How have we advanced the debate? Where do we go from here? Like many other civil society groups, our … Read More.
Community Leaders Meet to Discuss Relocation in the Face of Climate Change
By Alyssa Johl and John Crump* This week, community leaders from two small villages in very different parts of the world will meet on Bougainville Island in Papua New Guinea (PNG) to discuss a common problem: their need to relocate as a result of climate change. The communities of Newtok, Alaska, and the Carteret Islands, … Read More.
Rio+20 Outcome: The Anthropocene Challenge
By Marcos Orellana, Rio de Janeiro, 22 June 2012. On June 20, the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20) officially started in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The Conference opened with a documentary, Welcome to the Anthropocene, which was introduced by the UN’s Secretary-General. The documentary visually portrays the alteration in Earth’s natural cycles induced … Read More.
Rio+20 and sustainable development
By Amanda Rude, former CIEL legal intern As several CIEL attorneys and alumni head south to participate in the much-anticipated Rio+20 Conference, I wanted to share some of my insights as the “greenest” (i.e. youngest) member of the CIEL delegation…
UN Human Rights Council establishes an Independent Expert on Human Rights and the Environment
CIEL and Earthjustice, working closely with Maldives, Costa Rica and Switzerland, obtained from the UN Human Rights Council a resolution on Human Rights & Environment that establishes an Independent Expert on Human Rights and the Environment.
It’s time to admit there is no future in fossils
Following the UN climate talks in Durban can be a tedious business. Even for a conference junkie like me. There are times when the discussions get so mired in petty political bargaining that it’s hard to keep the bigger picture in mind. People seem to forget why they’re actually there: to find a solution to … Read More.
Multilateralism works! An insider’s analysis of Basel COP10
My very first COP experience, the 10th Conference of the Parties to the Basel Convention in Cartagena, Colombia, was hailed by delegates, observers, and the UNEP Executive Director Achim Steiner as the most successful Basel COP in the history of the Basel Convention. I was fortunate to have joined CIEL’s delegation that participated in such … Read More.
Message to President Obama: FREE AMERICA from the tyranny of oil
After six days and 322 arrests (and counting), the Tar Sands Action is in full effect. This two-week long protest is being staged on the sidewalk in front of the White House in Washington, DC, plainly visible to government employees, diplomats and tourists alike. Concerned citizens have travelled from all 50 states and Canada to … Read More.
The “New Normal”: Food in the 21st Century
The global food system is broken. Worldwide, 925 million are undernourished. The Asia-Pacific region ranks highest in terms of number of people that are hungry and sub-Saharan Africa leads on a percentage basis. In Niger, for example, one in two children suffers from malnutrition and one in six dies before the age of five. In … Read More.
UN Security Council Misses Critical Opportunity to Take Action on Climate Change
By Alyssa Johl and Hana Heineken At the end of Wednesday’s Security Council open debate on the security implications of climate change, Council members reached consensus on a Presidential Statement recognizing the link between security and climate change (see our July 19 blog for background on this issue). While this statement fails to call for … Read More.
UN Security Council Debates the Security Implications of Climate Change
Tomorrow, the UN Security Council will host an open debate on the international peace and security implications of climate change. CIEL’s Hana Heineken will be attending and tweeting live from the debate (follow Hana’s updates @ciel_tweets). While most people think of global warming as an environmental issue, the climate crisis is expected to have far-reaching … Read More.
Glacial Progress at June Climate Talks in Bonn: Public Frozen Out
By the CIEL Climate Team Despite growing evidence that the effects of climate change are occurring earlier and more dramatically than foreseen just a few years ago, the UNFCCC negotiations continue to demonstrate how difficult it is to reach agreement on a broad-based binding framework for collective international action on climate change. The two weeks … Read More.
What’s hot in climate change
By the CIEL Climate Team Climate negotiations resume in Bonn, Germany this week with a full agenda and against a backdrop of reports that last year’s global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions were at record levels despite the global economic downturn. While the meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP) in Cancun, Mexico last December … Read More.
Hidden Stories and the Power of Law
It is beautiful. Ten days ago, a NASA satellite took this image, a reminder that we are blessed to live on a planet rich with water and green with abundant life. Seen from 440 miles above the Arctic Circle, the earth seems peaceful, perfect and unchanging. Yet, there are other, hidden stories in this image—important … Read More.
Technology Mechanism for Climate Change: Still in the Lab
The first set of 2010 climate change negotiations under the UNFCCC concluded in Bonn, Germany (April 9-11th) with no progress apparent on the Technology Mechanism referenced in Paragraph 11 of the 2009 Copenhagen Accord. In fact, the only real outcome of the meeting appears to be an agreement to hold two additional meetings for both … Read More.
Leading the Way towards Carbon Reductions
Heard of the Yes Men? They are the incredibly straight-faced and gutsy duo that dare to go on the BBC TV and Radio, claiming to be from Dow Chemicals and announcing that Dow will compensate the victims of the Bhopal, India catastrophe with $12 billion from selling all assets related to Union Carbide Corp. Dow … Read More.
World Bank discusses Trade and Climate Change
The World Bank, along with two other NGOs, held a panel discussion today on the trade implications of the ongoing climate negotiations. The final presentation, on Technology Transfer and Climate Change was the most substantive, as detailed below. The presentations did not address either labeling schemes, standards, border carbon adjustments, or subsidies. For an in … Read More.