Search Climate Insights Directory

Friends of the Earth International calls for a transition from 'Dirty Energy'—including fossil fuels, nuclear power, and large-scale hydropower—to decentralized, people-centered community energy. The statement criticizes 'false solutions' like BECCS and carbon offsets, highlighting the disproportionate responsibility of the global North for emissions and the need for a just transition that includes significant financial flows to the global South.

The document warns that Hurricane Florence could trigger a public health crisis in the southeastern United States by causing the failure of toxic waste sites, such as coal ash pits, hog manure lagoons, and Superfund sites. It highlights the vulnerability of these sites, citing a recent coal ash collapse at the L.V. Sutton Power Station and previous spills during Hurricane Matthew and in 2008. The author contends that industry prioritizes cheap waste disposal over safety and calls for stronger government regulations to secure hazardous sites and address the increasing frequency and strength of hurricanes driven by climate change.

A joint letter from environmental NGOs argues that the Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA) is environmentally weak and inconsistent with the Paris Agreement. The authors demand that the EU maintain the more ambitious EU ETS for aviation and refrain from committing to CORSIA's voluntary phases until the legal review of the ETS Directive is finished.

Heavy-duty vehicles, while comprising only 5% of US road vehicles, contribute over 25% of vehicle-based global warming emissions and significant air pollution. The document advocates for the adoption of battery- and fuel cell-electric trucks and buses to eliminate tailpipe emissions and improve public health, particularly in low-income communities and communities of color. It highlights that battery-electric buses are currently the lowest-carbon option across the US and calls for government policies, including adoption targets and manufacturer standards, to accelerate this transition.

Mayors from across California are calling on the California Air Resources Board to move beyond incentives and implement regulatory measures to transition transit fleets to zero-emission buses. They argue that these vehicles are technologically viable, cost-competitive, and essential for reducing toxic air pollution and meeting the state's 2030 greenhouse gas reduction goals.

A coalition of over 115 organizations, including the Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment, calls on Ontario Premier Doug Ford to reinstate climate policy and meet legislated emissions targets. The letter highlights the increasing financial and human costs of climate change in Ontario, citing record heat waves, floods, and forest fires, and notes that Ontario is Canada's second most carbon-polluting province.

The Centre for Environmental Rights (CER) sent a formal request to the South African Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA) on 25 June 2018, demanding access to pollution prevention plans and greenhouse gas (GHG) reporting records. The CER disputes the DEA's claims of confidentiality regarding emissions data from major companies and calls for transparency to ensure the effectiveness of the national mitigation system.

A coalition of 19 organizations advocates for the adoption of the Disaster Recovery Reform Act (DRRA) and the PREPARE Act in the U.S. Senate's FAA Reauthorization legislation. The letter argues that shifting federal resources toward pre-disaster mitigation and updating building codes will reduce fatalities and long-term federal spending. It specifically promotes the use of green infrastructure, nature-based defenses, and distributed energy resources to protect critical infrastructure from extreme weather events.

The Life After Coal Campaign, comprising the Centre for Environmental Rights, groundWork, and Earthlife Africa, submitted a letter to the National Energy Regulator of South Africa (NERSA) on 7 June 2018. The letter urges NERSA to deny generation licenses for the Thabametsi and Khanyisa coal-fired independent power producer (IPP) projects, citing a University of Cape Town Energy Research Centre (ERC) report that describes the projects as economically inefficient and environmentally harmful.

The letter presents findings from a University of Cape Town Energy Research Centre (ERC) report which argues that the Thabametsi and Khanyisa coal-fired power stations are unnecessary and costly. The report indicates these plants would increase system costs by R19.68 billion and raise greenhouse gas emissions by 205.7Mt CO2eq over 30 years, potentially undermining South Africa's Paris Agreement commitments. The authors urge the Development Bank of Southern Africa to stop funding the Thabametsi project.

The Life After Coal/Impilo Ngaphandle Kwamalahle Campaign, comprising the Centre for Environmental Rights, groundWork, Earthlife Africa, and Greenpeace Africa, submitted a letter to the Portfolio Committee on Energy on 16 April 2018. The campaign expressed concern that the updated Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) might be published without further public consideration and comment, which they argue would make the plan "vulnerable to legal challenge". They requested that the Committee ask the Department of Energy whether further public consultation will be provided and urged the Department to consider evidence from the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), Meridian Economics, and the Frankfurt Institute, which they state "confirm that new coal-fired electricity is unnecessary and costly".

ClientEarth and the European Environmental Bureau are calling on EU Environment Ministers to push the Commission to revise the Aarhus Regulation. This follows a 2017 finding by the Aarhus Convention's Compliance Committee that the EU is in non-compliance because environmental NGOs have virtually no access to the Court of Justice of the EU to challenge EU institutional acts and omissions, except in cases involving access to documents.

The document argues that the EU must stop blocking progress on a conflict of interest policy at the UNFCCC to prevent fossil fuel companies and their lobby groups from undermining the ambition of the Paris Agreement.

Carbon Market Watch alerts international partners to the DRC's plans to lift the moratorium on new logging concessions and secretly revise its Forest Code. The organization argues these moves, including the awarding of three concessions covering 6,500 square kilometres, threaten environmental and climatic stability, specifically peatswamps, and undermine international initiatives like CAFI and REDD+. It calls for the immediate suspension of forestry funding until a transparent process is established.

The Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) asserts that current financing for the sound management of chemicals is insufficient and overly dependent on a small number of international donors. CIEL highlights a stark disparity in Global Environment Facility (GEF) funding, noting that only 13 million was dedicated to SAICM implementation compared to 541 million for a smaller set of substances. The statement argues that the chemical industry, with a global turnover of 4.1 trillion per year, should contribute directly to financing rather than claiming that tax payments and regulatory compliance constitute active financial participation. CIEL suggests that a levy of 0.1% on industry turnover would generate 4.1 billion annually, far exceeding current GEF contributions to SAICM.

The Life After Coal Campaign, comprising the Centre for Environmental Rights, groundWork, and Earthlife Africa, urges the South African government to abandon new coal and nuclear power projects in favor of a least-cost, renewable energy trajectory. The campaign argues that current energy planning must adhere to constitutional rights, international climate commitments under the Paris Agreement, and scientific evidence showing that new fossil fuel infrastructure is no longer competitive. Citing studies from Meridian Economics, the CSIR, and other international bodies, the document asserts that accelerating the decommissioning of older coal plants and curtailing certain new units could save Eskom up to R17 billion while improving public health and environmental outcomes.

CIEL and other civil society groups are calling on the Green Climate Fund (GCF) to immediately adopt the proposed Environmental and Social Policy (ESP), Gender Equality and Social Inclusion (GESI) Policy and Action Plan, and Indigenous Peoples Policy (IPP). The document argues that the GCF has already funded 54 projects without permanent safeguards to protect human rights and the environment, and that 23 additional projects awaiting approval at the B.19 meeting could negatively impact ecosystems and local communities. Furthermore, CIEL emphasizes the need for a funded work plan and budget for the Independent Redress Mechanism (IRM) to provide remedies for people harmed by GCF projects.

A coalition of NGOs issued a statement following a U.S. District Court ruling that granted a preliminary injunction against the delay of the Bureau of Land Management's (BLM) methane waste rule. The court found that the BLM failed to follow legal requirements for agency rulemaking, relying on "opinions untethered to evidence" rather than reasoned analysis. The statement highlights that the 2016 rule requires oil and gas companies to reduce methane venting and flaring and perform leak detection and repair on federal public lands. The NGOs argue that allowing methane waste results in significant financial losses for taxpayers, public health risks from toxic pollutants like benzene, and increased climate emissions due to methane's potency as a greenhouse gas.

ClientEarth argues that Canada's chemical and pesticide regulations are significantly less restrictive than those of the EU, citing the continued use of 46 active agents banned elsewhere and more lenient maximum residual limits for pesticides in food. The organization warns that the Regulatory Cooperation Forum (RCF) under CETA could allow Canadian business interests to pressure the EU to weaken its environmental protections, specifically regarding endocrine disruptors and the precautionary principle. ClientEarth contends that regulatory cooperation on environmental issues should occur in international environmental fora rather than trade agreements focused on trade facilitation.

The statement opposes the Trump administration's proposal to open U.S. ocean waters, including areas off the California coast, to offshore oil and gas drilling. It highlights the environmental and economic risks, citing the Deepwater Horizon disaster as a precedent for potential catastrophe. The text advocates for the passage of California state legislation that would block the development of new fossil fuel infrastructure, such as pipelines, on coastal lands under the State Lands Commission's authority to effectively halt the expansion of drilling.