Search Climate Insights Directory

The report finds that while some progress has been made since 2015, the EU and UK failed to meet the 2020 deadline to end overfishing, with over 40% of assessed TACs for 2021 still exceeding scientific advice. It highlights a particular lack of consistency in following advice for data-limited stocks and notes a mixed record for the UK, which improved transparency by including NGOs in negotiations but continued to push for unsustainable bycatch TACs and inter-area flexibility in the West of Scotland.

The report finds that the EU failed to meet its 2020 deadline to end overfishing, with over half of the assessed TACs for 2019 still exceeding scientific advice. It highlights a particular lack of consistency in following advice for data-limited stocks and identifies several Member States that actively pushed for unsustainable catch limits, while noting that all involved states benefited from TACs exceeding scientific recommendations.

The report finds that while some progress has been made since 2015, the EU and UK failed to meet the 2020 deadline to end overfishing. Nearly one quarter of assessed TACs for 2024 still exceed scientific advice, with particularly poor compliance for bycatch and data-limited stocks. The report highlights a lack of transparency in negotiations and calls for a genuine ecosystem-based approach to TAC-setting for 2025 and beyond.

Mighty Earth's monitoring of the PT Mayawana Persada concession in West Kalimantan reveals approximately 96 hectares of forest clearance and infrastructure development since a March 2024 government stop work order. While some areas showed activity ending in April and May, clearance in Area 1 appeared ongoing as of May 27, 2024. The report highlights the destruction of orangutan habitat and peatland, noting that nearly 20,000 hectares were cleared in 2023 alone.

The report finds that while some progress has been made since 2015, the EU and UK failed to meet the 2020 deadline to end overfishing. One quarter of assessed TACs for 2023 still exceeded scientific advice, with particularly poor compliance for bycatch stocks and data-limited stocks. The report highlights a lack of transparency in negotiations and notes that while the UK has shown progress in ecosystem-based management for forage fish, it has also pushed for unsustainable bycatch TACs and increased inter-area flexibility in the West of Scotland.

The report finds that while CETP signatories have made significant progress in restricting fossil fuel finance, they have lagged in scaling up clean energy support. In 2022, signatories shifted USD 6.5 billion out of fossil fuels but only USD 5.2 billion into clean energy. Most high-income signatories lack concrete, publicly available targets and strategies to 'fully prioritize' clean energy, and financing remains heavily concentrated in upper- and middle-income countries, with no low-income countries among the top 20 recipients between 2020 and 2022.

The report evaluates the alignment of Total Allowable Catches (TACs) with scientific advice in the EU and UK from 2015 to 2022. While some progress is noted, the report finds that overfishing was not ended by the 2020 deadline, with one third of assessed TACs still exceeding scientific advice in 2022. It highlights specific failures regarding data-limited stocks and identifies a mixed record for the UK, which has improved transparency and ecosystem considerations for forage fish but continues to push for unsustainable bycatch rollovers and inter-area flexibility in the West of Scotland.

The Centre for Environmental Rights (CER) issued a statement to the Petroleum Agency of South Africa (PASA) raising concerns regarding transparency, environmental compliance, and climate impact assessments for onshore gas and petroleum activities. The CER highlights a lack of public information on rights holders and questions the legality of specific projects and the use of hydraulic fracturing.

The Independent Integrity Unit (IIU) report details its activities from September 2021 to February 2022, focusing on investigations, policy implementation, risk assessment, capacity building, and awareness raising. Key achievements include the implementation of a Case Management System, the approval of Investigation Standards, and the launch of a thematic brief on avoiding maladaptation at COP26. The IIU also reported on case statistics, including the dismissal of a senior manager for misconduct, and the development of an integrity risk rating tool for projects.

The document reports that Halcyon Agri has ceased deforestation in Cameroon and implemented a global zero-deforestation policy. Key progress includes the establishment of a multi-level Cameroonian Council for Sustainable Development and the creation of a grievance mechanism to address community land claims. However, challenges remain, such as a recent latex spill near Kribi and the need for further progress on indigenous rights and employment equity. The company is also transitioning to closed-circuit water treatment systems and improving supply chain transparency through the ZSL SPOTT tool.

The Centre for Environmental Rights submitted two expert reports to the South African government detailing severe particulate matter (PM) limit exceedances and associated health impacts at Eskom's Kendal power station. Dr. Ron Sahu's analysis found 2,712 PM exceedances between April 2016 and March 2020, noting that electrostatic precipitators are failing. Dr. Andrew Gray's report estimates that emissions caused between 61 and 144 premature deaths annually between 2018 and 2019 and severely exceeded WHO air quality guidelines for SO2, PM2.5, and NOx in the Highveld Priority Area, particularly affecting sensitive receptors like primary schools.

The document reports that 95% of regulated coal ash ponds are unlined, allowing toxic chemicals to enter groundwater. It further notes that 67% of reporting impoundments are within five feet of the uppermost aquifer and 92% of coal plants with available data have at least one ash pond leaking above federal safe drinking water levels.

The report finds that Denmark has failed to establish necessary control measures to ensure compliance with the EU landing obligation, noting that the Danish Fisheries Agency detected only three infringements per year in 2017 and 2018. Evidence from last-haul inspections indicates widespread illegal discarding of fish below the Minimum Conservation Reference Size (MCRS), with cod under MCRS making up 13% in the Baltic and 6% in the North Sea, compared to less than 1% reported in logbooks. The document also highlights 'high-grading' (discarding legal but smaller fish) as a persistent issue, supported by trials from 2008-2015. It concludes that traditional surveillance is ineffective and identifies closed-circuit television (CCTV) and Remote Electronic Monitoring (REM) as the only effective tools for enforcement. Furthermore, it criticizes the European Commission for failing to police Member State compliance and for setting Total Allowable Catches (TAC) based on the flawed assumption that no unaccounted discards occur.

The report finds that France significantly delayed the implementation of reporting requirements for the landing obligation until 2019 and failed to sanction any infringements in 2017 and 2018. It highlights a lack of effective enforcement at sea and suggests that the adoption of Remote Electronic Monitoring (REM) is a necessary step to improve data reliability and compliance.

The report examines Spain's compliance with the Common Fisheries Policy's landing obligation, which requires fishers to retain and record all catches of species subject to catch limits. While Spain has introduced guidelines and selectivity studies, the report finds a critical lack of effective monitoring and enforcement. Evidence suggests that reported data for 2017 and 2018—showing almost no infringements and very low discards—is likely inaccurate due to industry resistance and insufficient control mechanisms. The document recommends increasing the use of remote electronic monitoring, improving port infrastructure, and enhancing data transparency to ensure the sustainability of fishing quotas.

The Centre for Environmental Rights (CER) is urging the South African government to penalize Eskom for chronic air pollution at the Kendal power station. Evidence from 2016-2019 shows frequent exceedances of particulate matter (PM) limits, with some units emitting 12 to 13 times the allowable limit. The CER argues that previous enforcement notices have been ineffective and that Eskom is violating both its AEL and the National Environmental Management Act's duty of care, impacting the health of communities in the Highveld Priority Area.

The Independent Redress Mechanism (IRM) report for early 2019 details its operational status, including the adoption of new Procedures and Guidelines and the development of a Case Management System. While no formal complaints or reconsideration requests were received during the period, the IRM conducted a preliminary inquiry into a project in Peru regarding potential mis-categorization and lack of free, prior, informed consent. The IRM also focused on capacity building for direct access entities and outreach activities in Chile, Côte d'Ivoire, and China.

The Centre for Environmental Rights (CER) has issued an urgent notice to the South African Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA) demanding that it direct ArcelorMittal South Africa (AMSA) to address ongoing pollution at its Vanderbijlpark site. CER highlights failures in air emission controls, water discharge compliance, and land contamination remediation, while accusing the DEA of delaying action and providing contradictory information regarding the existence of records on land contamination assessments.

The Centre for Environmental Rights (CER), representing several environmental justice organisations, submitted provisional comments on June 29, 2018, regarding the Department of Environmental Affairs' (DEA) proposed amendments to the 2012 National Framework for Air Quality Management in South Africa. The CER argues that the public consultation process was inadequate and that the draft Framework fails to address systemic failures in air quality monitoring, enforcement, and the achievement of previous targets.

The Centre for Environmental Rights (CER) argues that the Highveld Priority Area (HPA) has failed to meet national ambient air quality standards (NAAQS) despite a decade of management. The CER highlights that postponements of minimum emission standards (MES) granted to Eskom and Sasol have hindered progress and suggests that Eskom may be violating even its postponed standards. Furthermore, the CER criticizes the state of South Africa's air quality monitoring network, claiming that a majority of stations produce no data and very few produce quality-assured data. The document urges the Portfolio Committee to question the DEA on its enforcement actions, the legality of 'rolling postponements', and the decline in the number of reporting monitoring stations.