Search Climate Insights Directory
294 results
Biobased and Biodegradable Plastic
WWF argues that while biobased and biodegradable plastics can support a circular economy, they are not standalone solutions to plastic pollution and must be managed through strict, metric-based assessments and proper infrastructure to avoid environmental trade-offs.
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Document type: Statement
UNCONVENTIONAL (FRACKED) NATURAL GAS, CLIMATE CHANGE AND HUMAN HEALTH
The document outlines the dangers of hydraulic fracturing, noting that in 2018, more than two thirds of Canada's natural gas was "fracked gas," primarily from Northeastern BC. It details health risks including increased incidences of preterm birth, miscarriage, and childhood leukemia (ALL), as well as environmental threats such as water contamination and induced earthquakes. The text highlights that methane leaks from fracking are 86 times more harmful to the climate than CO2 over 20 years, undermining the concept of natural gas as a "bridge fuel." It concludes by urging Canada to implement a moratorium on new wells and develop just transition plans for workers.
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Document type: Executive summary
Fractures in the Bridge
The report argues that unconventional oil and gas (UOG) development, specifically hydraulic fracturing, poses significant risks to human health, water and air quality, and climate stability. It highlights strong evidence linking UOG to adverse birth outcomes and asthma, while noting that methane leakage undermines the role of natural gas as a 'bridge fuel'. The document calls for a rapid transition to renewable energy and recommends that Canadian provinces and territories implement moratoria on new fracking development.
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Document type: Report
Quemando la Amazonia
The document analyzes the 2019 Amazon fires as a result of corporate power and the expansion of the agricultural frontier, specifically linked to the interests of transnational corporations (TNCs). It contends that the EU-Mercosur Free Trade Agreement will exacerbate this trend by increasing demand for commodities like soy and beef, leading to further deforestation and human rights violations. The report criticizes the Bolsonaro administration for dismantling environmental protections and argues that the agreement's environmental clauses are non-binding and insufficient to prevent climate catastrophe.
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Document type: Report
Sustainable Watersheds for Carbon Offsets: Biomass harvesting for phosphorus capture, habitat renewal and carbon emissions reductions
The document describes a pioneered practice of harvesting cattails and other plants from water retention areas and drainage ditches to remove phosphorus, improve habitat, and create biomass for energy and bioproducts. It highlights the role of this 'unconventional' waste biomass in a circular economy by recycling nutrients and sequestering carbon in soil. The review specifically looks at global carbon markets since the Kyoto Protocol and Paris Agreement to find verification methodologies suitable for bioeconomy projects in Manitoba and Canada.
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Document type: Report
Safeguarding Soil
The document highlights the critical role of soil health in the US food system and the negative impacts of decades of short-sighted farm policies. It details the economic and environmental costs of soil erosion and degradation, including water pollution and increased vulnerability to extreme weather. The brief proposes a transition to practices such as cover cropping and no-till farming to sequester carbon and improve resilience, while recommending specific policy shifts in financial incentives, research funding, and technical assistance.
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Document type: Policy brief
Los incendios en la Amazonía son un llamado de alerta al mundo
Friends of the Earth International asserts that the record-breaking fires in the Amazon, particularly in Brazil, are caused by agribusiness, mining, and logging interests supported by President Jair Bolsonaro's administration. The statement highlights a massive increase in fire detections and deforestation rates, attributing these trends to the dismantling of environmental protections and the suppression of indigenous land rights. It calls for international condemnation of these policies and criticizes the European Union for pursuing a trade agreement with MERCOSUR despite this environmental devastation.
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Document type: Statement
Les incendies en Amazonie, un signal d’alarme pour le monde entier
Friends of the Earth International denounces the 2019 Amazon fires, attributing them to the Brazilian government's dismantling of environmental protections to benefit agro-industry and mining. The statement highlights a record increase in fires and deforestation, the persecution of indigenous peoples, and the global climate implications of the destruction of the Amazon rainforest.
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Document type: Statement
Amazon wildfires are a wake-up call for the world
Friends of the Earth International asserts that the 2019 Amazon wildfires, particularly in Brazil, are the result of agribusiness, mining, and timber expansion facilitated by President Jair Bolsonaro's government. The organization highlights a significant increase in fires and deforestation, the dismantling of climate laws, and the persecution of Indigenous Peoples and environmental defenders. It calls for international condemnation of these policies and criticizes the European Union's pursuit of a trade agreement with MERCOSUR amidst this environmental devastation.
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Document type: Statement
340+ organisations call on the EU to immediately halt trade negotiations with Brazil
Over 340 civil society organisations have called on the European Union to stop trade negotiations with the Mercosur bloc, citing a surge in human rights violations and environmental degradation in Brazil since the inauguration of President Jair Bolsonaro in January 2019. The signatories argue that the EU, as Brazil's second-largest trading partner, must use its leverage to demand an end to deforestation and the fulfillment of Paris Agreement commitments before proceeding with any trade deal.
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Document type: Statement
PLAN DIRECTOR DE LA CUENCA DEL RÍO ROCHA
The Master Plan for the Rocha River Basin addresses critical water scarcity, pollution, and ecosystem degradation in the Cochabamba Department of Bolivia. It outlines five strategic lines—water management, sustainable basin management, institutional strengthening, knowledge management, and water culture—to improve water security and resilience. Key goals by 2040 include increasing safe water access to 834,049 people and reducing the total water deficit by 227 hm3, while mitigating risks from climate-induced precipitation changes and temperature increases.
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Document type: Executive summary
CLIMATE CHANGE AND WATER
The report emphasizes that freshwater systems are the primary conduits for climate impacts and critical levers for adaptation. It highlights a severe decline in freshwater biodiversity, noting an 83% average drop in species populations between 1970 and 2014. The document argues that traditional 'grey' infrastructure often undermines natural resilience and proposes 'nature-based solutions'—such as wetland restoration and reforestation—to mitigate floods, secure food and energy supplies, and protect vulnerable communities. It specifically calls for a 'New Deal for Nature and People' and the 'Bankable Water Solutions' initiative to redirect finance toward sustainable, basin-scale water management.
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Document type: Report
The Hidden Costs of a Plastic Planet: Climate
The document outlines how plastic contributes to greenhouse gas emissions across its entire lifecycle, from fossil fuel extraction to waste management, and proposes systemic reductions over technical fixes.
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Document type: Fact sheet
Ongoing environmental change in the Mekong floodplains
The Mekong floodplains, covering approximately 70,000 km2 and including Cambodia's Tonle Sap, are experiencing environmental deterioration driven by rapid economic growth and climate change. While hydropower dams are a significant concern for biodiversity and livelihoods, the document argues that focusing solely on dams overlooks other local threats affecting water resources, vegetation, and fish.
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Document type: Research paper
Land Matters: How Securing Community Land Rights Can Slow Climate Change and Accelerate the Sustainable Development Goals
The document examines the link between community land tenure and global sustainability goals, highlighting that while indigenous and rural communities manage over 50% of the world's land, only 10% is legally recognized. It presents evidence that secure tenure reduces deforestation and carbon emissions more cheaply than technological carbon capture. The author calls for legal reforms, simplified formalization procedures, and a more equitable playing field between communities and corporations to protect these critical carbon sinks and support rural livelihoods.
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Document type: Report
Mpumalanga Spatial Development Framework
The Mpumalanga Provincial Spatial Development Framework proposes a polycentric growth management model to address apartheid-era spatial imbalances and promote sustainable economic diversification. It identifies five key economic growth and innovation centres—Mbombela, Emalahleni, Middleburg, Secunda, and Ermelo—and a network of alternative growth centres to decentralise economic activity. The framework emphasises enhancing connectivity via the N4 Maputo Corridor and other strategic routes, protecting high-potential agricultural land and biodiversity, and transitioning the province's coal-dependent economy toward low-carbon and climate-resilient alternatives. It also outlines strategies for urban densification, the development of sustainable human settlements, and the creation of Rural Economic Zones (REZ) to transform rural livelihoods.
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Document type: Report
Reflorestamento em Larga Escala: Terras Públicas na Amazônia São um Ponto de Partida
The report proposes using public lands in the Amazon as a starting point for large-scale reforestation in Brazil. It highlights that natural regeneration is already occurring, with regenerated areas in the Brazilian Amazon increasing from 10 million to 17 million hectares between 2004 and 2014. The authors suggest that the 3 million hectares of deforested land within protected territories are ideal for initial efforts due to established governance and proximity to primary forests. Additionally, the document identifies approximately 13 million hectares of deforested non-designated public lands as potential areas for reforestation combined with land tenure regularization. This strategy is presented as a necessary complement to the National Plan for the Recovery of Native Vegetation (Planaveg), which focuses on private lands, to help Brazil achieve its Paris Agreement commitment to restore 12 million hectares by 2030.
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Document type: Executive summary
UGANDA
The document outlines Uganda's green economy efforts, noting the development of the Third National Development Plan and a Draft Climate Change Bill. It emphasizes the economic risk of climate inaction, which could cost between US$ 3.2 and 5.9 billion over ten years, and details the degradation of the River Rwizi catchment due to farming and mining.
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Document type: Fact sheet
More Ethanol, More Problems
The author contends that allowing year-round E15 sales is unlawful under the Clean Air Act and would increase the production of environmentally damaging corn ethanol. The document highlights risks to air quality via ozone formation and the failure of the Renewable Fuel Standard to deliver projected advanced biofuel benefits.
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Document type: Statement
PARADISE LOST
The report reveals that logging in the Solomon Islands is occurring at 19 times the sustainable rate, with natural forests predicted to be exhausted by 2036. It identifies systemic illegalities, including lack of landowner consent and breaches of logging codes, while noting that local communities see few benefits. China is identified as the dominant importer, purchasing 82% of the country's logs, and is urged to regulate its supply chain to mitigate commercial and environmental risks.
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Document type: Report