Search Climate Insights Directory

The report argues that the proposed 1.2 GW Karpowership gas power plants are not aligned with a least-cost investment pathway for South Africa. Drawing on a study by Meridian Economics and the CSIR, it finds that the grid should prioritize rapid renewable energy build-out and storage, with new gas capacity not being economically optimal until the mid-2030s. The document concludes that commissioning these plants by 2022 would create an unnecessary economic burden for ratepayers and that the procurement process (RMIPP) was biased against renewable energy options.

The Centre for Environmental Rights (CER) provides detailed legal and technical submissions on the draft Air Quality Management By-law for the Ngkawi District Municipality (NDM). The CER recommends aligning the by-laws with national legislation, such as the National Environmental Management: Air Quality Act (AQA) and the National Environmental Management Act (NEMA), and suggests stricter local emission and dust standards to protect human health, particularly given the area's location within a High Priority Area (HPA).

This memorandum from the Mpumalanga Department of Agriculture, Rural Development, Land and Environmental Affairs (DARDLEA) evaluates an appeal by the Centre for Environmental Rights (CER) and its clients against the environmental authorisation granted to Atha Africa Ventures (AAV) for the proposed Yzermyn underground coal mine. The department recommends that the appeal be dismissed, concluding that the authorisation process was legally sound and that potential environmental impacts can be mitigated to acceptable levels.

The document argues that current proposed regulations for unconventional oil and gas (UOG) in South Africa are insufficient, particularly regarding the exclusion of coalbed methane (CBM) and inadequate groundwater protections. It recommends expanding definitions to include all stimulation techniques, implementing strict setback distances to protect sensitive aquifers and towns, and requiring long-term monitoring of decommissioned wells for up to 50 years to prevent contamination.

The report examines over 400 products from Nestlé, Danone, Mead Johnson, and Abbott across 14 countries. It finds that while basic nutritional components generally meet international standards, the proliferation of different product lines—including 'premium' versions and age-specific formulas—is a sales strategy to increase market share and bypass marketing regulations rather than a result of scientific advancement. This is particularly evident in high-growth Asian markets where 'premium' products are priced significantly higher than basic options, sometimes costing parents a substantial portion of their monthly income. The document calls for stricter government oversight and adherence to WHO marketing guidelines.

The report identifies various hazardous substances, including phthalates, flame retardants, and PFAS, in carpets from leading European brands, arguing that current self-regulation and EU laws are insufficient to protect consumers and enable safe recycling.

The report critiques the IFC's Green Equity Approach (GEA), noting that while it aims to phase out coal by 2030, loopholes allow continued fossil fuel financing. It proposes ten essential reforms, including extending the ban to oil and gas, closing underwriting loopholes, ensuring gender equality, and implementing full public disclosure of sub-projects to achieve true Paris alignment.

The document analyzes how the core principles of the GATT—such as most-favored-nation and national treatment—often conflict with environmental measures, particularly those targeting production process methods (PPMs) or resources in the global commons. It examines specific frictions within the Montreal Protocol, CITES, and the Basel Convention, as well as U.S. laws like the Marine Mammal Protection Act. The authors argue that trade and environmental policies must be reconciled under the overarching goal of sustainable development, suggesting options such as reinterpreting 'like products' to include lifecycles, increasing transparency in dispute resolution, and utilizing market-based cost internalization.

This research paper analyzes a 1991 General Agreements on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) dispute resolution panel decision regarding a U.S. embargo on Mexican tuna. The panel found that the U.S. Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) violated GATT by imposing quantitative restrictions on imports. The authors examine the legal conflict between international trade rules and environmental protections, arguing that the decision limits the ability of nations to enforce environmental standards on imported products unless those standards affect the physical makeup of the product or its sale.

The Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) issued climate-related recommendations or questions to 35 out of 43 States considered in 2023. The Committee primarily focused on the differentiated impact of climate change on women, emphasizing the need for gender-responsive strategies in adaptation and disaster risk reduction, as well as the increased vulnerability of rural, Indigenous, migrant, and refugee women. While less frequent than adaptation, the Committee also addressed mitigation policies, fossil fuel extraction—specifically criticizing Norway's expansion of oil and gas permits in the Arctic—and the necessity of women's participation in the UNFCCC loss and damage fund.

The CERD increased its climate-related outputs in 2023, focusing on the disproportionate impacts of climate change on Indigenous peoples and ethnic minorities in several countries. The Committee emphasized the need for adaptation measures to consider specific ethnic needs and the importance of free, prior, and informed consent for extractive projects. Additionally, the Committee's draft General Recommendation No. 37 highlighted the negative health outcomes of climate change, including heat-related illness and mental health impacts, which disproportionately affect racial and ethnic minorities.

The Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC) increasingly integrated climate change into its 2023 state reviews and released General Comment No. 26, which establishes the right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment as implicit in the Convention. The CRC's work focused on state obligations for mitigation and adaptation, the regulation of private actors' contributions to environmental harm, and the protection of children's rights across various legal and procedural frameworks.

The report outlines how the CEDAW Committee interprets States' obligations to ensure gender-responsive climate action, emphasizing the particular vulnerabilities of rural and older women and the necessity of women's participation in decision-making.

The document outlines the CESCR's monitoring of the ICESCR, highlighting how climate change threatens substantive rights such as the right to water, food, and health. It details the Committee's increasing use of Concluding Observations to urge States to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, transition to renewable energy, and protect vulnerable groups, particularly indigenous peoples, from climate impacts.

The report outlines how the Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC) interprets the 1989 CRC Convention to protect children from climate change. It highlights that while the Convention implicitly protects rights to life, health, and education, the Committee has explicitly urged States to place children's health at the center of climate strategies and to ensure children's participation in decision-making. The document analyzes 24 Concluding Observations from the past decade, noting a trend of recommendations directed toward climate-vulnerable developing countries, focusing on adaptation, disaster risk reduction, and the integration of child-sensitive strategies into national plans.

The research paper argues that the effectiveness of international fisheries management depends on the support and input of non-governmental stakeholders. It analyzes the 'three pillars' of public participation—access to information, access to decision-making, and access to justice—as established by the Rio Declaration, Agenda 21, and the Aarhus Convention. The author compares the participatory practices of Rio-era conventions (Climate Change, Biological Diversity, and Desertification) with those of various RFMOs, such as the WCPOFC, NAFO, and ICCAT. The document concludes that broad NGO participation enhances decision-making quality and legitimacy, and recommends that RFMOs adopt open-access policies for meetings and documents to ensure sustainable resource management.

The document analyzes the 1992 Framework Convention on Climate Change, detailing the scientific consensus on global warming and the diplomatic tensions between industrialized and developing nations during its creation. It highlights the lack of binding emissions targets and the complexities of the financial mechanism and technology transfer.

The report examines 38 cases of international arbitration brought by mining companies against Latin American states, highlighting a pattern where corporate legal protections are used to bypass national courts and penalize governments for implementing public health, environmental, or indigenous rights policies. It identifies Canada as a primary source of mining investment and litigation in the region and argues that the current ISDS framework creates a 'chilling effect' on democratic regulation. The document details specific cases in countries such as El Salvador, Colombia, and Venezuela, and proposes a shift toward a legal framework that prioritizes human rights and environmental protection over investor profits.

The report finds that while most International Financial Institutions (IFIs) commit to gender equality, their actual policies are often weak, understaffed, and poorly resourced. The African Development Bank and Asian Development Bank are identified as having the most receptive accountability mechanisms for gender-related complaints, whereas the IMF, EIB, and EBRD are noted for significant gaps in both policy and redress options.

The report argues that the climate crisis is a human rights crisis, creating a legal obligation for States and corporations to provide effective remedy and reparations. It critiques the UNFCCC's voluntary approach to loss and damage, highlighting how it fails to uphold human rights standards and is hampered by debt injustice in the Global South. The document outlines legal pathways through international courts (ICJ, ITLOS, IACtHR) and national litigation to enforce accountability. Finally, it proposes six guiding principles for climate reparations—victim-centric, inclusive, intersectional, adequate, accountable, and trackable—drawing on lessons from other large-scale harm mechanisms.