Search Climate Insights Directory

The Centre for Environmental Rights (CER), on behalf of the Life After Coal Campaign, submitted comments on the Draft Regulations Amending the Electricity Regulations on New Generation Capacity, 2011. The CER argues that the Draft Regulations are redundant and legally inconsistent because the Electricity Regulation Act (ERA) does not require prior Ministerial approval for municipalities to establish their own electricity capacity. The submission emphasizes the urgent need for a transition to clean energy to mitigate severe health, environmental, and climate harms caused by South Africa's coal-dependent power sector.

This technical note by the Climate Policy Initiative (CPI) and the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro (PUC-Rio) analyzes the new Concessions Law bill (PL 7,063/2017) from a social and environmental perspective. The authors argue that the bill lacks coordination with other environmental legislation and fails to provide sufficient predictability regarding environmental licensing and feasibility studies. The note recommends specific adjustments to the bill to reduce project risks, ensure higher quality infrastructure, and avoid potential judicial conflicts regarding investor liability.

This technical note by the Climate Policy Initiative (CPI/PUC-Rio) analyzes a new report by Senator Irajá Abreu regarding Provisional Measure (MP) 910/2019, which modifies Law 11.952/2009 on the land regularization of federal public lands. The authors argue that the report maintains harmful rules, reverses previous improvements, and includes unconstitutional legislative additions.

This fact sheet by the Climate Policy Initiative analyzes Provisional Measure (MP) 910 of 2019, which proposes changes to the land regularization of federal public lands in Brazil, specifically affecting the Amazon region. The authors argue that the measure risks rewarding illegal land grabbing and deforestation by easing the requirements for obtaining land titles.

This fact sheet analyzes Provisional Measure 910 (MP 910), a proposed amendment to Brazilian legislation regarding the regularization of informal settlements on federal lands. The authors argue that the measure rewards illegal land occupation and deforestation, particularly in the Amazon, by loosening the requirements for obtaining property titles.

This technical note by the Climate Policy Initiative (CPI) and PUC-Rio analyzes Provisional Measure (MP) 910/2019, which modifies Law 11.952/2009 regarding the land regularization of federal public lands in Brazil. The authors argue that the MP rewards criminal activities such as land grabbing (grilagem) and illegal deforestation by expanding the spatial and temporal scopes for regularization and simplifying the process through self-declaration, thereby benefiting large landowners over traditional communities and family farmers.

This report by the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) and the Global Initiative for Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (GI-ESCR) synthesizes the work of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) regarding climate change up to 2020. It details the Committee's use of General Recommendations, Joint Statements, and the State reporting procedure to establish that States have human rights obligations to protect women from climate-related harms and ensure their participation in climate policy.

This briefing by the Center for International Environmental Law synthesizes the work of the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (CESCR) regarding climate change. It details the Committee's use of General Comments, a Joint Statement with other treaty bodies, and the State reporting procedure to establish that States have human rights obligations to mitigate climate change, protect vulnerable populations, and provide international cooperation and finance.

This report by the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) and the Global Initiative for Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (GI-ESCR) synthesizes the work of the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC) regarding climate change. It details the CRC's use of General Comments, the State reporting procedure, and the communications procedure to establish that States have legal obligations to protect children's rights—including the rights to life, health, and culture—against the impacts of global climate change.

This legal investigation, conducted by Front Advokater for the Stockholm Environment Institute, analyzes the legal protections available to Swedish samebyar (Sami villages) against land exploitation for hydropower. It examines the historical context of hydropower development in northern Sweden, the fundamental rights of the Sami people, the current environmental permit process, and the implications of new legislation effective January 1, 2019, regarding the review of existing hydropower plants to establish modern environmental conditions.

This briefing note from the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) argues for the integration of procedural rights—specifically access to information, public participation, and access to justice—into climate governance and the implementation of the Paris Agreement. It highlights the roles of the Aarhus Convention and the Escazú Agreement in promoting environmental democracy and provides specific recommendations for the COP-25 agenda to ensure climate policies are inclusive, rights-based, and gender-responsive.

This technical briefing analyzes Law 13.887/2019, which amends the Brazilian Forest Code (Law 12.651/2012) regarding the Rural Environmental Registry (CAR) and the Environmental Regularization Program (PRA). The law removes the final deadline for CAR registration, making it a permanent registry, but establishes a critical deadline of December 31, 2020, for producers to register if they wish to access the more flexible regularization rules of the PRA. The document highlights remaining uncertainties, such as the starting point for the two-year PRA adhesion window and the potential legal conflicts arising from a proposed federal PRA for states that fail to implement their own by the end of 2020.

This briefing discusses the necessity of overhauling the Energy Charter Treaty (ECT) to align it with international climate commitments, specifically the Paris Agreement, to support the transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy.

This research paper analyzes border carbon adjustments (BCAs) as a mechanism to prevent carbon leakage—the shift of emissions from countries with strict climate policies to those with less stringent ones—within the fragmented architecture of the Paris Agreement.

This briefing examines the inequitable resource interdependency between Europe and Africa in the extractive sector. It argues that a symbiotic relationship can be achieved by implementing 'extractive justice'—incorporating procedural, distributive, and recognitional justice—into legal and policy frameworks to address wealth imbalances and governance deficits.

This fact sheet by the Centre for Environmental Rights details the environmental track record of ArcelorMittal South Africa Ltd (AMSA), specifically focusing on its Vanderbijlpark Works. It outlines systemic non-compliance with air and water quality laws, significant land contamination, and a lack of transparency regarding climate change risks and greenhouse gas emissions.

The Vaal Environmental Justice Alliance (VEJA) and groundWork (gW) submitted a formal objection on 11 March 2019 against ArcelorMittal South Africa’s (AMSA) application for the postponement and alternative plant standards of minimum emission standards (MES) at its Vanderbijlpark Works. The submitters argue that AMSA's requests are unlawful, fail to meet statutory requirements, and would violate the constitutional right to a healthy environment.

This technical briefing by the Climate Policy Initiative analyzes proposed amendments to Provisional Measure (MPV) No. 867/2018. While the original MPV seeks only to extend the deadline for joining the Environmental Regularization Program (PRA) until December 31, 2019, the authors argue that 35 proposed amendments—many of which are 'jabutis' (unrelated additions)—threaten the integrity of the 2012 Forest Code (Law No. 12.651/2012) and risk creating legal insecurity and further judicialization.

This research paper examines the limited role of the World Trade Organization (WTO) in addressing fossil fuel subsidies despite the mandates of the Paris Agreement and the 2030 Agenda. It analyzes the compatibility of specific G20 fossil fuel support measures with the 1994 Agreement on Subsidies and Countervailing Measures and proposes five avenues for international trade policy reform.

This briefing by the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) and the Global Initiative for Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (GI-ESCR) examines how the Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC) addresses climate change within the framework of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC Convention). It focuses on the CRC's 2018 state reporting procedure, highlighting recommendations on mitigation, adaptation, procedural rights, and international cooperation.