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Time for a U-Turn
The report documents a 70-year history of 'intransigence' by US automakers, who repeatedly claimed that environmental and safety mandates were technically impossible or economically ruinous, only to implement the technologies once mandated. It details specific battles over the Clean Air Act, CAFE standards, and vehicle safety features like airbags, concluding that regulation has historically acted as a catalyst for innovation rather than a destroyer of the industry.
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Document type: Report
Fumes Across the Fence-Line
The report quantifies the health risks faced by millions of African Americans living near oil and gas infrastructure, highlighting elevated cancer risks and asthma attacks. It details the role of systemic oppression in siting polluting facilities in communities of color and calls for stricter EPA regulations and a transition to a clean energy economy.
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Document type: Report
ETHIOPIA KEY OBSERVED & ANTICIPATED CLIMATE CHANGE IMPACTS PRIORITY SECTORS FOR ADAPTATION
Ethiopia utilizes the Climate-Resilient Green Economy (CRGE) strategy to aim for middle-income status by 2025 while reducing emissions and building resilience. The National Adaptation Plan (NAP) serves as a roadmap to mainstream adaptation across sectors and government levels, from federal to woreda. Key priority sectors for adaptation include agriculture, forestry, water, energy, transport, industry, health, and urban areas, addressing threats such as droughts, floods, rainfall variability, and increasing temperatures. The process has evolved from the 2007 National Adaptation Programme of Action (NAPA) through the Ethiopian Programme of Adaptation to Climate Change (EPACC) to the current NAP framework, with recent milestones including Green Climate Fund support for gender-responsive drought resilience.
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Document type: Fact sheet
JAMAICA KEY OBSERVED & ANTICIPATED CLIMATE CHANGE IMPACTS
Jamaica is implementing a National Adaptation Plan (NAP) approach that involves developing 12 sector-specific strategies and action plans, including investment plans and M&E frameworks. This process is guided by the National Development Plan, Vision 2030, and coordinated by the Climate Change Division and the Climate Change Focal Point Network to avoid 'silo' effects and ensure mainstreaming across government ministries. Key milestones since 2009 include the establishment of the Climate Change Division and the completion of the Forestry Sector Strategy and Action Plan.
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Document type: Fact sheet
Milking it
The report examines the practices of Nestlé, Danone, Mead Johnson Nutrition, and Abbott, concluding that the proliferation of 'premium' and 'specialised' infant formulas is a strategy to increase market share and profit margins, particularly in Asia, often at the expense of breastfeeding promotion and consumer affordability.
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Document type: Report
Review of Light -duty Vehicle Fuel Economy and Emissions Standards
The document contends that maintaining strong fuel economy and emissions standards for passenger vehicles is essential for protecting US consumers and the broader economy from volatile oil prices. It highlights a historical period between 1982 and 2006 where a lack of updated standards led to stagnating fuel economy and increased vulnerability to price shocks, contributing to the Great Recession. The Union of Concerned Scientists estimates that current standards will net the public over $400 billion by 2030 and increase GDP by $25–$30 billion, while creating 650,000 full-time jobs. Furthermore, it argues that these standards benefit automakers by providing a hedge against price fluctuations, warning that weakening them could cost the 'Detroit Three' over $1 billion if gas prices return to $4 per gallon.
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Document type: Fact sheet
Climate Change Vulnerability Assessment in Snow Leopard Habitat Gateway Communities in North Sikkim
The report identifies high vulnerability in wetlands, rivers, and snow leopard habitats in North Sikkim due to rising temperatures, erratic precipitation, and infrastructure development. It recommends climate-smart agriculture, improved water resource management, and the integration of ecosystem-based adaptation into state planning.
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Document type: Report
PRELIMINARY SUBMISSIONS REGARDING THE DRAFT REVIEW OF THE NATIONAL FRAMEWORK FOR AIR QUALITY MANAGEMENT 2017
The Centre for Environmental Rights (CER) criticises the draft 2017 National Framework for Air Quality Management for failing to review progress against previous targets and for inadequate public participation. The submissions highlight persistent non-compliance with national ambient air quality standards in priority areas, severe delays in the implementation of the South African Air Quality Information System (SAAQIS), and deficiencies in greenhouse gas reporting. CER demands more transparent, facility-level GHG reporting, stricter air quality standards aligned with WHO guidelines, and the urgent appointment of air quality officers and inspectors to ensure enforcement of the Air Quality Act.
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Document type: Statement
Report on the response to queries in the Board – approved Terms of Reference for updating of GCF’s Gender Policy and Action Plan
The GCF evaluated its gender policy, finding it more effective in programmatic operations than institutional ones. It proposes transitioning to a 'Gender Equality and Social Inclusion Policy and Action Plan' to broaden its scope beyond women to include other marginalized groups. Key updates include making Gender and Social Inclusion (GESI) plans mandatory for all projects, adopting a human rights-based approach, and implementing Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) protocols.
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Document type: Report
ATT MONITOR REPORT 2017
The ATT Monitor 2017 report finds that while the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) has seen steady universalization, progress in public reporting is disappointing in both quantity and quality. Analysis of 2015 Annual Reports reveals significant discrepancies between reported exports and imports, with only 6% of analyzed small arms and light weapons (SALW) transactions being exactly mirrored. The report highlights a critical gap between reported implementation measures in Initial Reports and actual practice on the ground. It also introduces the 'Risk Watch' tool, which uses a typology of individual, group, institutional, and conflict violence to identify contexts where arms transfers may fuel human rights abuses.
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Document type: Report
COMMENTS BY THE CENTRE FOR ENVIRONMENAL RIGHTS ON THE DRAFT MINE WATER MANAGEMENT POLICY POSITION
The Centre for Environmental Rights (CER) provides critical feedback on the Department of Water and Sanitation's (DWS) draft Mine Water Management Policy Position. The CER argues that the draft understates the crisis of mine water management in South Africa, citing a systemic failure in mine closures and a lack of compliance monitoring and enforcement. The CER recommends that the DWS utilize existing legislative tools—specifically the National Water Act (NWA), the National Environmental Management Act (NEMA), and the Mineral and Petroleum Resources Development Act (MPRDA)—to enforce the 'polluter pays' principle and secure financial provisions for water treatment before granting licenses.
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Document type: Statement
Budgeting for NDC action: initial lessons from four climate-vulnerable countries
The paper examines the alignment between national budgets and NDC commitments in four sub-Saharan African countries. It finds that while some ministries show rising budget projections, there are significant discrepancies between planned and actual spending. The analysis reveals that limited domestic resources are allocated to NDC actions, with a heavy reliance on international donor support. The author suggests that programme-based budgeting and Medium-Term Expenditure Frameworks offer opportunities to better track and report climate spending, though current precision remains low.
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Document type: Research paper
Addressing risks of an inadequate legal framework governing forest conversion in Ghana
The document identifies five key risks in Ghana's forest conversion laws, including legal uncertainty regarding mining in reserves, the criminalization of smallholders due to complex licensing, and a lack of coordinated land-use planning. It argues that these gaps facilitate illegal deforestation and community rights violations. To address this, ClientEarth recommends clarifying the legal status of forest reserves, implementing the Land Use and Spatial Planning Act 2016, simplifying smallholder registration, and increasing the resources and transparency of enforcement agencies like the Forestry Commission and the Environmental Protection Agency.
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Document type: Briefing
The control and enforcement of fisheries in England
The report identifies systemic failures in English fisheries enforcement, including a lack of proactive surveillance, low prosecution rates, and insufficient fines that fail to deter IUU fishing. It highlights breaches of EU law regarding the maintenance of a public register of infringements and the misapplication of the points system for serious infringements. Furthermore, it notes a legal gap where environmental damage to European Marine Sites cannot be prosecuted unless a specific local byelaw exists, and argues that the current emphasis on reducing regulatory burdens for business undermines the robust inspection required by EU mandates.
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Document type: Report
A Guidebook to Reviews of Fossil Fuel Subsidies
The document outlines a methodology for volunteering economies to identify, measure, and evaluate fossil fuel subsidies (FFS). It details the 'building blocks' of a review—definition, scope, measurement, and evaluation—and analyzes the practical application of these tools through case studies of self-reports (Finland, Sweden) and peer reviews within the G20 and APEC frameworks (China, USA, Peru, New Zealand). It emphasizes that these reviews are voluntary, non-adversarial tools designed to create a baseline for reform and facilitate international peer learning.
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Document type: Guide
Tackling Deforestation Through A Jurisdictional Approach: Lessons From The Field
The report examines jurisdictional approaches to deforestation, emphasizing the necessity of political leadership, participatory design, and diverse financing. Through case studies in Brazil, Liberia, Ghana, and Colombia, it argues that while these models are nascent and complex, they offer a systemic way to align market forces and government policy to achieve landscape-scale conservation.
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Document type: Report
Plug-in electric vehicles
The document examines the state of plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs), detailing the differences between battery electric vehicles (BEVs) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs). It highlights the U.S. market's heavy reliance on California due to the Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) program and specific state incentives. The text analyzes the economic benefits of PEVs, noting lower fuel and maintenance costs compared to internal combustion engine vehicles, and discusses the critical role of charging infrastructure and falling battery prices. Globally, it notes the leadership of China and Europe in PEV sales and the aspirational phase-out targets for gasoline cars in countries like Norway and India.
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Document type: Fact sheet
Plug-in Electric Vehicles
The document details the differences between battery electric vehicles (BEVs) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), noting that BEVs produce less than half the carbon dioxide of conventional internal combustion engine vehicles. It highlights the U.S. market's heavy reliance on California for sales due to the Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) program and discusses the economic benefits of PEVs, such as lower fuel and maintenance costs. The text also outlines the current state of charging infrastructure, the downward trend in battery costs, and various federal and state incentives designed to accelerate adoption.
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Document type: Fact sheet
Marco para los procesos del Plan Nacional de Adaptación (PNAD) sensibles al género
The document argues that gender-responsive National Adaptation Plan (NAP) processes are essential for effective and sustainable climate adaptation, as women often face unique barriers to resources and information. It defines gender-responsive approaches as those that actively challenge unfair norms and structures to promote equality, rather than merely acknowledging differences. The provided framework outlines specific actions across the NAP cycle—planning, implementation, and monitoring and evaluation (M&E)—as well as enabling factors like institutional arrangements and capacity building. A pilot review of NAP documents from 15 countries in Asia, Africa, and the Americas found that while gender is often recognized as a vulnerability factor or cross-cutting theme, there is a lack of detailed implementation steps and resource allocation strategies.
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Document type: Executive summary
GENDER MAINSTREAMING STRATEGY
The Gender Mainstreaming Strategy for USAID Clean Power Asia provides a framework to address gender disparities in the renewable energy sector of Southeast Asia. It identifies key gender issues, such as the male-dominated nature of energy institutions and limited female access to resources, and proposes a 'twin-track approach' that combines gender mainstreaming across the project cycle with targeted activities to foster 'gender champions.' The strategy includes specific action points for leadership, planning, policy, investments, and communication, alongside a checklist to ensure gender-sensitive design, inclusive stakeholder engagement, and equitable benefit sharing.
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Document type: Report