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The document critiques the EU's reliance on 'formalisation'—the use of legalisation and transparency measures—to govern natural resource sectors in sub-Saharan Africa. Using case studies from Sierra Leone's diamond sector and Liberia's forest sector, it argues that these technocratic reforms often fail to improve the lives of local citizens and can even entrench predatory practices. The author proposes adopting a UN-developed 'human security' approach, which prioritises the security of individuals over the security of the state and focuses on tangible, bottom-up results at the local level.

The document expresses concern over the lack of action by the North Western Waters regional group in developing ambitious bycatch reduction plans for Irish Sea whiting, West of Scotland whiting and cod, Celtic Sea cod, and plaice in area 7h-k. The signatories argue that current draft plans are vague and rely on existing measures, failing to address the 'dire state' of stocks for which ICES issued zero catch advice for 2019. They request the Commission to monitor the process, ensure STECF review via a dedicated Expert Working Group, and confirm that bycatch TACs will be decreased or withdrawn if plans are insufficient.

Mighty Earth asserts that food-based biofuels are environmentally damaging, contributing to climate change through emissions and the release of sequestered soil carbon, while causing habitat loss and water contamination.

Carbon Market Watch criticizes Shell's $300 million investment in tree planting and forestry offsets, arguing that such measures do not reduce emissions and are undermined by the company's continued lobbying against climate action and massive investment in oil and gas infrastructure over low-carbon alternatives.

The author describes a series of visits to mining and development sites in South Africa and Kenya, highlighting environmental destruction and human rights violations. The text criticizes the South African government's support for the mining industry and the New Development Bank's funding of coal-fired power plants, while warning against the dangers of geoengineering funded by carbon emitters.

The report details how private equity firms have aggressively expanded their ownership of U.S. apartment buildings, often employing 'value-added' or 'opportunistic' strategies to maximize returns. These strategies can involve pushing out lower-income tenants through rent hikes and neglect to convert properties into high-rent assets. The document identifies major players like Blackstone, Starwood Capital, and Brookfield Asset Management, noting their shift toward large-scale portfolio acquisitions and the use of high debt levels to finance growth.

The authors examine the 'financialization of nature,' arguing that securitizing ecosystem services creates incentives to maximize a narrow set of commodifiable outputs at the expense of overall ecosystem health. They contend that the fungibility required for financial markets ignores the complex, location-specific nature of ecosystems. While they identify limited exceptions—such as tradable permits for widely-dispersed gases (e.g., CO2 and SOx) and socially responsible investing (SRI) for already-managed lands—they warn that most environmental credits and offsets fail to protect biodiversity or ensure genuine additionality.

The Centre for Environmental Rights (CER), writing on behalf of the Life After Coal Campaign, challenges statements made by Minister Jeff Radebe regarding the viability of "clean coal" technologies. The CER asserts that "clean coal" is a misnomer and a myth, arguing that no technology can neutralize the environmental, health, and climate impacts of the entire coal cycle. The document advocates for a coal phase-out and a just transition to sustainable energy systems, citing declining coal employment and consumption in South Africa as evidence of an inevitable shift. It emphasizes that achieving the IPCC's 1.5 degree Celsius target requires drastic CO2 reductions, which necessitates moving away from coal toward socially-owned renewable energy projects.

ClientEarth informs the European Commission that Germany risks failing to achieve the climate objectives of its 'lignite reserve' measure, which was approved under State Aid Decision SA.42536. The measure aimed to reduce CO2 emissions by 12.5 million tonnes by 2020 through the mothballing and closure of lignite-fired power plant blocks in exchange for EUR 1.6 billion in compensation. ClientEarth notes that the German government missed two legal deadlines: the June 2018 deadline for assessing CO2 savings and the December 31, 2018, deadline for agreeing on additional measures. Citing a draft Climate Protection Report 2018, the letter states that preliminary assessments suggest the measure will only save approximately 11.5 million tonnes of CO2, leaving a gap of one million tonnes.

The Grand River Environmental Network, the Ontario Headwaters Institute, and 24 other organizations are calling for the withdrawal of Schedule 10 of Bill 66. They argue that the legislation violates campaign promises to protect the Greenbelt and creates unnecessary municipal powers to identify employment lands despite a lack of shortage. The signatories claim the bill is "corrosive to environmental and public health" by exempting land from the Provincial Policy Statement and the Clean Water Act, potentially risking water safety and biodiversity. Furthermore, they assert that the bill "subverts democracy" by allowing municipalities to bypass official plans and deny public consultation and appeal rights.

Earthjustice urges the U.S. Senate to reject the nomination of Andrew Wheeler to head the EPA, claiming he has operated a "dirty energy favor factory" and would continue policies of "climate denial" and "dirty energy bailouts."

The report asserts that "clean coal" is impossible, detailing the severe impacts of coal mining and combustion in South Africa. It examines technologies like HELE plants, CFB combustion, and CCS, concluding they fail to substantially reduce emissions or costs compared to renewables. It further notes that Eskom and Sasol have frequently sought postponements to comply with national air quality standards.

The analysis argues that EUSIPA perpetuates the flaws of old-generation Bilateral Investment Treaties by providing vague investor protections and a biased dispute settlement system that lacks sufficient judicial independence and fails to prioritize public interest over investment claims.

The Clean Air Task Force (CATF) criticizes the EPA's 2019 Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) for prioritizing corn ethanol and soy biodiesel over cellulosic biofuels. While Congress intended cellulosic biofuels to comprise nearly one-third of the 2019 mandate, they account for only 2%. CATF asserts that the reliance on first-generation biofuels drives deforestation in Southeast Asia and Latin America and calls for Congressional intervention to fix the policy.

The Centre for Environmental Rights (CER) and allied environmental groups are calling for the urgent withdrawal of an amendment to the List of Activities published on 31 October 2018. The amendment doubles the permissible sulphur dioxide (SO2) emissions for existing solid-fuel combustion installations, such as Eskom's coal-fired power stations and Sasol's coal boilers, from 500mg/Nm3 to 1000mg/Nm3. The CER argues that this change was made without public consultation, violating the National Environmental Management: Air Quality Act, 2004 and the National Environmental Management Act's requirements for transparency and public participation. The group has set a deadline of 10 December 2018 for the withdrawal of the provision, threatening High Court litigation if the request is not met.

The Centre for Environmental Rights (CER), representing several environmental and community organisations, sent a letter to the National Energy Regulator of South Africa (NERSA) on 19 November 2018. The letter demands that NERSA conduct a formal public participation process regarding the draft Integrated Resource Plan for Electricity 2018 (draft IRP 2018), arguing that NERSA is legally required to do so before concurring with the Minister of Energy.

The Centre for Environmental Rights (CER) is challenging the viability of the Thabametsi and Khanyisa coal-fired power projects, arguing that they cannot reach commercial or financial close due to outstanding licenses, pending High Court reviews of environmental authorisations, and a lack of 'value for money' assessments. CER highlights that Eskom has not approved the signing of the power purchase agreements (PPAs) and notes that the draft IRP 2018 suggests new coal-fired power is not part of a least-cost electricity plan.

The document argues that the RSPO serves as a greenwashing tool for the industrial palm oil industry, failing to address a production model based on land grabbing, deforestation, and labor exploitation. It asserts that voluntary certification cannot replace state regulation and calls for a moratorium on plantation expansion and a reduction in palm oil demand.

The document argues that the RSPO serves as a 'greenwashing' tool for the palm oil industry, failing to prevent deforestation and land grabbing while promoting a destructive industrial model. It calls for government moratoria on plantation expansion and a shift toward agroecology.

The document argues that the RSPO serves as a tool for 'greenwashing' the palm oil industry, masking systemic human rights violations and deforestation. It asserts that the RSPO's certification principles support a destructive industrial model based on large-scale monocultures, land grabbing, and labour exploitation. The authors call for government moratoria on plantation expansion, a reduction in palm oil demand, and the promotion of agroecology and community land rights.