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STATEMENT OF CARROLL MUFFETT PRESIDENT AND CEO CENTER FOR INTERNATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL LAW (CIEL) ON BEHALF OF CIEL, FRIENDS OF THE EARTH AND SIERRA CLUB AS DELIVERED TO THE HOUSE ENERGY AND COMMERCE COMMITTEE SUBCOMMITEE ON MANUFACTURING COMMERCE AND TRADE
The statement argues that the current U.S. chemical regulation system is inadequate and warns that the TTIP could hinder progress on chemical safety by weakening existing EU and U.S. state standards. It calls for a trade agreement that prioritizes public health over corporate interests, rejects mutual recognition in sensitive sectors, and ensures transparency in negotiations.
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Document type: Statement
Request to meet about the Barro Blanco project during July 2013 visit to Panama
A coalition of NGOs requests that UN Special Rapporteur James Anaya intervene in the Barro Blanco hydroelectric project in Panama to protect the Ngäbe people from imminent threats to their territories and physical security. The document argues that the project, expected to be completed by May 2014, will flood indigenous lands and cultural sites, and was approved despite failures in environmental impact assessments and stakeholder consultation. It further highlights reports of police violence against protestors and the Panamanian government's failure to fulfill a March 2012 agreement regarding an expert assessment of the project's controversies.
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Document type: Statement
Resuscitating the Clean Development Mechanism
Carbon Market Watch outlines critical reforms needed for the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) review at COP-19. The author warns that failure to address quality issues, particularly regarding additionality, could lead to an over-supply of more than 4 gigatonnes of CO2 offsets and drive prices below 1 EURO. Key recommendations include transitioning away from large-scale power supply projects, moving beyond pure offsetting to avoid double counting, shortening crediting periods to match technology lifespans, and establishing human rights standards. The document also calls for improved sustainable development monitoring, strengthened civil society participation through a CDM Ombudsman, and a restructuring of auditor payment to eliminate conflicts of interest.
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Document type: Statement
Stop threats to Nigerian environmentalist Odey Oyama
Odey Oyama, director of the Nigerian Rainforest Resource Development Centre (RRDC), is facing life threats and has been placed on a government watch list after opposing a 50,000 hectare palm oil plantation established by Wilmar International in Cross-River State, Nigeria. The RRDC alleges that Wilmar claimed land belonging to local farmers and protected forests, and began planting without local consent or a proper Environmental Impact Assessment. The RRDC is preparing a lawsuit against the company and the government for failure to comply with Nigerian laws.
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Document type: Statement
Open letter to Environment Ministers and delegates of all UNFCCC Parties: Increase ambition and close loopholes at COP18
The document argues that non-additional offset credits undermine climate protection and calls for the permanent cancellation of 'hot air' surplus permits, the strengthening of additionality criteria for Joint Implementation (JI) and the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM), and the banning of fossil fuel-based power projects from generating credits.
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Document type: Statement
Recovering in Sandy’s wake
Friends of the Earth urges the public to support recovery efforts after Hurricane Sandy and encourages voters in the upcoming general election to prioritize candidates with strong records on climate change and clean energy, arguing that the storm was exacerbated by fossil-fuel-driven climate change.
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Document type: Statement
Clearing the Air with Industrial Audits
The document advocates for the public release of industrial audit data in California to maximize the public health benefits of the state's cap and trade system. It argues that transparency allows advocates and community members to pressure facilities to implement energy efficiency measures, which reduce both greenhouse gases and local air pollution. The author contends that the benefits of transparency, including the replication of best practices and increased public confidence, outweigh facility managers' concerns regarding competitive disadvantages.
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Document type: Statement
Don’t Suppress Military-Led Innovation
The document criticizes the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee's decision to limit the Department of Defense (DoD) from pursuing alternative fuels based on cost comparisons with fossil fuels. It argues that such restrictions stifle military-led innovation, which historically created technologies like the Internet and GPS, and prevents the civilian economy from leveraging energy savings. The author asserts that DoD's leadership in biofuels and efficient platforms could help the U.S. transition away from oil, coal, and nuclear energy by 2050, potentially saving $5 trillion.
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Document type: Statement
letter-expressing-concern-over-recast-of-regulation-1049-2001-on-access-to-documents-coll-en-2e8970a740ca06e8.pdf
The document is a letter from ClientEarth and a coalition of NGOs to the Council Presidency and Member States, warning that the proposed recast of Regulation 1049/2001 could undermine transparency and violate international standards, including the Aarhus Convention. While welcoming the extension of rules to all EU bodies and proactive publication of legislative documents, the authors criticize several proposals: a restrictive definition of 'document', the introduction of 'block exceptions' for certain classes of documents, a presumption that transparency undermines legal advice, and the allowance of national exceptions. They also argue that new exceptions for staff selection and contracts increase corruption risks, that privacy protections lack a proper public interest balance, and that proposed time limits for requests (up to 80 working days) are excessive. Finally, the letter criticizes the closed nature of the 'trialogue' negotiation process.
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Document type: Statement
CIVIL SOCIETY LETTER TO THE CDM POLICY DIALOGUE PANEL
The document argues that the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) has failed its dual goals of reducing emissions and promoting sustainable development. It highlights that 40-70% of projects are non-additional, meaning they would have occurred without CDM registration, and that many projects cause social and environmental harm. The signatories call for the exclusion of fossil fuel and large hydro projects, the implementation of 'do no harm' assessments, and the creation of meaningful public participation and grievance mechanisms.
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Document type: Statement
CIEL STATEMENT TO THE UN HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL
The statement argues for the creation of a special procedure within the UN Human Rights Council to manage the intersection of human rights, environmental crises, and climate change, noting that over 140 states have already incorporated environmental rights into their constitutions.
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Document type: Statement
Combatting Monsanto
The report details a global movement of small-scale farmers and activists resisting the corporate power of agribusiness, specifically Monsanto. It highlights legal battles, moratoria, and direct actions against GM crops in Europe, India, Latin America, and Africa. The document argues that the 'green economy' and 'climate-smart agriculture' frameworks are being used to further corporate control over seeds and land through market-based mechanisms and carbon offsets, while promoting food sovereignty as a sustainable alternative.
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Document type: Report
Acciones violentas contra las comunidades afectadas por el Proyecto Hidroeléctrico de El Quimbo en Huila, Colombia
Friends of the Earth International denounces the violent eviction of fishing families on the Magdalena River by Colombian police, which resulted in three injuries, including a youth who lost an eye. The organization highlights the negative impact of the El Quimbo Hydroelectric Project on local livelihoods and supports the legal efforts of Asoquimbo and Censat Agua Viva to stop the project due to environmental license irregularities. It calls on the Colombian government to follow World Commission on Dams recommendations and grant a Public Environmental Hearing.
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Document type: Statement
Friends of the Earth U.S. statement in support of Occupy Wall Street
Friends of the Earth U.S. aligns itself with the Occupy Wall Street movement, asserting that corporate influence and neoliberal ideology have captured political systems and driven environmental destruction. The organization argues that the environmental movement must move beyond parochial interests to support progressive tax and financial reforms, such as a Wall Street transactions tax and the end of polluter tax giveaways, to ensure economic and environmental justice.
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Document type: Statement
Tr-Ash Talk: Gearing Up for a Nasty Coal Ash Vote
The document opposes H.R. 2273, a bill that would prevent the EPA from designating coal ash as hazardous waste and limit federal oversight of coal ash management. It highlights the 2008 Kingston coal ash disaster in East Tennessee as evidence of the risks associated with poor management and alleges that the bill's sponsors have received significant financial donations from coal interests.
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Document type: Statement
Message to Obama: Free America from the Tyranny of Oil
The Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) advocates against the Keystone XL pipeline, citing the high greenhouse gas emissions of Alberta's tar sands and concerns over political influence in the State Department's permitting process. The statement also details CIEL's efforts to eliminate coal funding in international finance institutions, specifically criticizing World Bank loans for coal projects in South Africa and Kosovo, while referencing IPCC findings that renewables could meet nearly 80 percent of global energy supply by mid-century.
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Document type: Statement
IT'S TIME TO OUTLAW LAND GRABBING, NOT TO MAKE IT "RESPONSIBLE"!
The report denounces the Principles for Responsible Agricultural Investment (RAI) as a mechanism to legitimise 'land grabbing' by corporations and governments. It argues that voluntary guidelines cannot remedy the systemic human rights violations, environmental destruction, and food insecurity caused by large-scale land acquisitions, which it claims are driven by financial speculation rather than food security. The authors call for an immediate ban on large-scale land transactions, the return of misappropriated lands to communities, and a transition toward food sovereignty based on peasant agriculture and agroecology.
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Document type: Report
ES HORA DE PROHIBIR EL ACAPARAMIENTO DE TIERRAS, NO DE DARLE UNA FACHADA DE “RESPONSABILIDAD”
Friends of the Earth International and a coalition of social movements denounce the 'Responsible Agricultural Investment' (RAI) principles promoted by the World Bank and other international agencies. The document asserts that these voluntary guidelines serve as a 'moral facade' for financial speculation and corporate land grabbing, which lead to forced evictions, water privatization, and the destruction of small-scale farming. It calls for the immediate suspension of land grabs, the return of stolen lands, and a transition toward food sovereignty based on agroecological methods and genuine land reform.
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Document type: Statement
STATEMENT ON THE KGASWANE COUNTRY LODGE MAGALIESBERG PROTECTED ENVIRONMENT
The Magaliesberg Protection Association (MPA) is pursuing a judicial review in the Mafikeng High Court to overturn the MEC's decision to allow the 'rectification' of the Kgaswane Country Lodge, a ± 50 bedroom hotel built illegally in a 'highly sensitive' area of the Magaliesberg Protected Environment. Despite an unsuccessful application for an interdict to stop construction, the MPA argues that the approval violates the area's Environmental Management Framework and sets a dangerous precedent for other illegal developments. The legal process has cost approximately R260,000 to date, with an estimated total cost of R400,000, funded by donations and guarantees from hiking and mountaineering clubs.
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Document type: Statement
Joint Civil Society Statement on IFC’s Draft Sustainability Framework
The document argues that the IFC's draft Sustainability Framework fails to adequately protect human rights, noting that references to human rights were removed from previous drafts. The signatories call for mandatory human rights due diligence for both the IFC and its clients, alignment with the UN 'Protect, Respect and Remedy' framework, and specific safeguards regarding water rights, gender impacts, forced evictions, and environmental damage.
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Document type: Statement