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The Centre for Environmental Rights (CER) has written to the South African Department of Environmental Affairs to express concern over the lack of transparency and coordination regarding several climate change policy documents. The CER highlights a proliferation of reports and drafts—including the 'Pathways documents' and the 'National Climate Change Adaptation Strategy'—without a clear overall strategy or alignment between government departments. The CER specifically argues that climate mitigation modelling must reflect current research showing that new coal-fired power capacity is unnecessary and financially uncompetitive compared to renewables, urging the abandonment of remaining Kusile units and the exclusion of new coal plants from future scenarios.

The Centre for Environmental Rights (CER) is calling for a review of South Africa's National Dust Control Regulations, arguing that current monitoring methods are inadequate and that the government is incorrectly treating fugitive dust as a 'nuisance' rather than a health risk. CER specifically highlights the danger of toxic substances like arsenic and uranium in gold mine residues in Gauteng and opposes a proposal to double the allowable 30-day average dust limit from 600mg/m2 to 1200mg/m2. The letter also demands that the scope of regulated activities be expanded to explicitly include gold mine tailings re-mining operations.

The Centre for Environmental Rights, representing several non-governmental and community organisations, urges the South African government to finalise and publish draft regulations for greenhouse gas (GHG) reporting and pollution prevention. The letter argues that these regulations are essential for South Africa to meet its commitments under the Paris Agreement and its Intended Nationally Determined Contribution (INDC), specifically regarding the introduction of mandatory GHG reporting by 2016. Key demands include shifting reporting from a company level to an individual facility level and ensuring that GHG emission data is made publicly available through the National Atmospheric Emission Inventory System (NAEIS). The authors warn that failing to incorporate these transparency and monitoring measures could render the regulations unconstitutional and hinder the state's ability to track emissions trajectories and identify mitigation opportunities.

Earthjustice criticizes the Republican-led Senate for its unprecedented refusal to hold hearings or provide 'advice and consent' for a Supreme Court nominee during the final year of President Obama's term. The organization emphasizes that judicial appointments are critical for protecting environmental and public health rights, noting that the Senate's obstructionism extends to regional appeals courts as well.

This document is an official contribution from Friends of the Earth International (FoEI) to the second session of the UN open-ended intergovernmental working group (IGWG) in October 2016. It advocates for a legally binding international treaty to hold transnational corporations (TNCs) and their executives accountable for human rights violations and environmental crimes, proposing the creation of a World Court on TNCs and Human Rights and a Public Centre for control. FoEI argues that the treaty must prioritize human rights over trade and investment agreements, specifically calling for the restriction of Investor-State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) mechanisms that undermine public health and environmental protections.

Friends of the Earth International (FoEI) argues for a legally binding UN Treaty that establishes civil and criminal liability for transnational corporations (TNCs) and their executives. The submission emphasizes the need for a World Court on TNCs and Human Rights to overcome national judicial weaknesses and the 'pattern of impunity' enjoyed by corporations. FoEI specifically calls for the primacy of human rights over investment treaties, the elimination of Investor-State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) mechanisms that undermine public health and environmental policies, and the protection of the treaty negotiation process from corporate lobbying. The document supports these claims with case studies of corporate abuses in Nigeria, Brazil, Indonesia, and other regions.

A statement by Earthjustice emphasizing the intersection of Hispanic heritage and environmental justice, citing a survey that shows strong Latino support for environmental protection despite facing disproportionate pollution and health risks.

The document highlights a 'historic vacancy crisis' in the U.S. federal courts, focusing on the D.C. Circuit where four of 11 seats remain vacant due to political obstruction. It argues that these vacancies obstruct the judiciary's ability to enforce landmark environmental statutes such as the Clean Air Act and Clean Water Act. The text specifically cites the blocked nomination of Caitlin Halligan and the court's role in cases such as the EPA's veto of the Spruce No. 1 mountaintop removal coal mine in West Virginia.

The Centre for Environmental Rights is seeking clarification from Minister Susan Shabangu on why a mining right application from Duiker Mining (Pty) Ltd was accepted for the Chrissiesmeer Biodiversity Site, despite previous ministerial assurances that mining in this ecologically sensitive area was prohibited. The Centre notes that while the Minister claimed the process was complete, no formal declaration under section 49(1) of the Mineral and Petroleum Resources Development Act (MPRDA) has been published in the Government Gazette. They urge the Minister to formally prohibit prospecting and mining in the site for at least 20 years to ensure ecological sustainability and provide certainty to stakeholders.

The Centre for Environmental Rights (CER) calls for the publication of an expert task team report and the holding of public hearings before the Minister of Mineral Resources decides on shale gas fracking licences in the Karoo. The CER criticizes the current process for its secrecy, the refusal of access to information requests by the Department of Mineral Resources and the Department of Environmental Affairs, and the exclusion of vulnerable communities. The CER opposes any fracking technology that contaminates aquifers, introduces pollutants, increases carbon-intensive energy dependence, or hinders South Africa's carbon emissions targets. They demand a 90-day moratorium and public consultation period following the report's release, and insist that any future authorizations include stringent regulation under the National Environmental Management Act and the National Water Act.

The author describes the rapid deforestation of Cambodia, driven by a corrupt government and politically connected timber barons, which led to the displacement and abuse of hundreds of thousands of people. Despite a 2016 ICC policy stating that the court would prioritise crimes resulting in the destruction of the environment or illegal dispossession of land, a 2014 complaint regarding Cambodia remains inactive. The document calls on the ICC to open an investigation to signal that environmental destruction and land grabbing can be prosecuted as crimes against humanity.