Search Climate Insights Directory

Eighteen civil society organizations are calling on Crédit Agricole CIB to cease its role as a financial advisor for the Papua LNG project, led by TotalEnergies, ExxonMobil, Santos, and JX Nippon. The letter argues that the project, which includes 9 offshore wells and a 320km pipeline, would increase Papua New Guinea's energy and industry emissions by over 7% and generate 220 million tons of CO2 equivalent in scope 3 emissions. The authors highlight risks to frontline communities in Gulf Province, potential stranded assets due to a projected 72% decline in global gas demand by 2050, and a lack of guaranteed sales agreements. The organizations demand that Crédit Agricole withdraw from the project, end financial services for new gas fields and LNG terminals, and condition services to TotalEnergies on a commitment to stop new upstream and midstream oil and gas projects.

Analysis of 241 U.S. locations from 1970 to 2022 shows that fall temperatures have increased by an average of 2.4°F in 232 cities, with the most intense warming occurring in the Southwest. This trend is characterized by an increase in above-normal fall days, which prolongs risks related to heat-related illness, wildfires, and allergies, while increasing energy demand for cooling.

The document uses the example of international firefighters collaborating to fight Canadian wildfires as a metaphor for the necessary global cooperation required to address climate change and biodiversity loss. It highlights recent multilateral successes, such as the Convention of Biological Diversity COP15 agreement, the Global Biodiversity Framework Fund, and the UN Treaty of the High Seas, as evidence of a positive trend in environmental diplomacy. The author emphasizes the ecological importance of the boreal forest, which contains 20 percent of the world's carbon, and calls for continued partnership between governments, Indigenous Peoples, and civil society at the Seventh GEF Assembly.

GreenLatinos advocates for the U.S. Congress to fully fund the Department of the Interior to address the 'Nature Gap'—the disproportionate lack of access to natural spaces and health benefits for Latino communities. The organization highlights the severe underrepresentation of Latino history in the National Park Service and the lack of diversity within the federal workforce, noting that Latinas earn only 54 cents for every dollar earned by non-Hispanic white men. GreenLatinos calls for the equitable conservation of 30 percent of U.S. lands and waters by 2030 and the creation of more career paths in public land management for Latino communities.

The Yacarantã Collective, led by João, Yasmin, and Heitor, promotes syntropic agriculture in Rio Manso, Brazil, to counter the ecological damage caused by monoculture and pesticides. Starting in 2014 at Yacarantã Farm, the initiative evolved from a private project into a collective effort to empower vulnerable rural communities, particularly women. Following a devastating mining dam collapse in 2019, the collective expanded its outreach to over 400 impacted families, partnering with a Rural School to provide education on regenerative economy and sustainable agriculture. This led to the creation of the 'Margaridas' women's group, which established a community-based agroforestry system covering over 2,000 square meters with 400 seedlings and 30 types of vegetables.

The Belém Declaration, signed by eight Amazonian countries, is criticized by Mighty Earth for ignoring the meat industry, which is responsible for approximately 80% of deforestation in the region. The author argues that the document lacks a collective regional target for zero deforestation, relying instead on disparate national goals, and calls for a public traceability system to hold global food companies accountable.

On August 8, President Biden designated the Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni – Ancestral Footprints of the Grand Canyon National Monument, providing permanent protection for nearly a million acres of land against uranium mining and industrial threats. This designation replaces a temporary 20-year ban on new mining claims that was set to expire in 2032. The monument protects ancestral homelands of multiple Native Tribes, safeguards the Colorado River watershed—which provides water for 40 million people—and preserves biodiversity, including the critically endangered California condor. While the designation prevents new claims, some existing mines in the region may still operate.

The Earthjustice Northern Rockies office focuses on protecting biodiversity, safeguarding sacred Indigenous lands, defending water quality, and transitioning from fossil fuels to renewable energy through litigation and partnerships in Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming.

The report argues that existing social contracts are broken, exclusionary, and ignore planetary boundaries, necessitating a transition to 'eco-social contracts'. These new frameworks are proposed to be grounded in human rights, gender justice, and a 'contract with nature'. The document explores various pathways for implementation, including rights-based economies, the recognition of the rights of nature, and the inclusion of marginalized groups such as informal workers and Indigenous peoples. It provides specific regional analyses and case studies from Nepal, the MENA region, India, and Australia to illustrate how participatory processes and communitarian imaginaries (such as Ubuntu and Sumak kawsay) can inform these new societal agreements.

The submission argues that PFAS should be regulated as a class to prevent 'regrettable substitution' and protect vulnerable populations, including Indigenous peoples and firefighters. The authors contend that the current Draft state of PFAS report underestimates the class size and that the proposed Risk Management Scope (RMS) is insufficient because it lacks a commitment to prohibiting non-essential uses. They recommend fast-tracking the listing of PFAS as toxic substances under CEPA Part 1 of Schedule 1, citing widespread contamination in the Canadian Arctic, the Great Lakes, and human blood.

The paper argues that integrating climate mitigation target-setting with economic development assessments can motivate more ambitious climate action. By modeling 28 mitigation measures, the authors show that Zimbabwe can meet its updated target of a 40% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions from all sectors by 2030 (relative to baseline scenarios) while gaining quantifiable benefits in biodiversity, public health, sustainable energy use, and energy security.

The 31st meeting of the IAI Conference of the Parties (CoP-31), held in Panama City in June 2023, resulted in the adoption of 23 decisions. Key outcomes include the creation of the IAI Science Diplomacy Center, the establishment of an Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities Advisory Committee, and the mandate to develop research programs on the nexus of climate, environment, and health, as well as oceans and coastal systems. The meeting also addressed financial sustainability, noting that voluntary contributions have not increased in over 30 years, and approved the core budget for FY 2023-2024.

The 55th meeting of the IAI Executive Council focused on financial sustainability, leadership transitions, and regional climate initiatives. The Council recommended that the Conference of the Parties (CoP) approve the FY 2023-2024 Core Budget and establish a working group to increase voluntary contributions and diversify funding sources, noting that the core budget has not increased since 1992. The meeting also introduced Dr. Anna Stewart-Ibarra as the new Executive Director and Dr. Edwin Castellanos as the incoming Science Director. Additionally, the Council discussed a Regional Assessment of global change policy priorities and an initiative to enhance national climate assessment capacities in Latin America and the Caribbean.

The report introduces a four-component framework to help countries manage nature-related risks and opportunities while meeting international obligations like the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. The framework covers baseline assessment, initiative identification, instrument selection, and governance structures to improve economic well-being and climate outcomes through nature protection and restoration.

The document defines 'biotic eruptions' as population or biomass explosions of species driven by human alterations to the environment or the introduction/removal of species. These eruptions can lead to irreversible state shifts in ecosystems, such as harmful algal blooms (HABs) or Arctic greening, which disrupt food security and economic stability. The author argues that these ecological disruptions can cascade into social instability and conflict, particularly in regions with weak governance. Case studies on Lake Victoria and China illustrate how biodiversity loss and invasive species like the fall armyworm exacerbate vulnerabilities. The briefing recommends restoring keystone species, reducing nutrient pollution, and diversifying food systems to enhance security resilience.

Iberdrola is implementing a just transition strategy focused on decarbonizing the economy while supporting affected workers and communities. The company has closed all its coal plants and is investing heavily in renewables, with planned expenditures of €47 billion from 2023-2025 and €65-75 billion between 2026 and 2030. Key initiatives include the Exiom-Iberdrola Alliance in Spain to manufacture photovoltaic modules, the School of Electricians for Women in Brazil, and collaborations with UNICEF to promote green employment in Spain, Brazil, and Somalia. Iberdrola also advocates for a just transition through international pledges and was the first company to share its Climate Transition Plan for net zero emissions before 2040 with the UN.

A coalition of environmental organizations argues that mature and old-growth (MOG) forests are critical for carbon sequestration and biodiversity, and must be protected from logging via a national BLM rule. The document details the ecological value of MOG, identifies ongoing logging threats on BLM lands, and argues that such protections are consistent with the Federal Land Policy and Management Act (FLPMA) and Biden administration executive orders.

The report analyzes the alignment between the Colombian and EU taxonomies, finding a high degree of similarity in climate change mitigation criteria for 47% of compared activities. While both frameworks share core principles and governance structures, the EU Taxonomy is generally more detailed in its technical eligibility criteria and adaptation objectives, whereas the Colombian Taxonomy offers more specific requirements for land-use sectors and certain circular economy safeguards.

The document highlights the severe social and environmental costs of Caribbean Spiny Lobster fishing in Central America. It details how the demand for live lobsters has driven divers, particularly from the Miskito Indigenous community, to dive deeper and more frequently, leading to widespread decompression sickness, paralysis, and death. The report notes that while Honduras and Nicaragua are the largest producers in Central America, both face challenges with illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing and the failure to implement bans on dangerous diving practices. It further discusses the 'Miskito standards' established by the Inter-American Court of Human Rights following a 2021 ruling against Honduras for failing to oversee private companies in the deep diving industry.

Researchers from CPI/PUC-Rio have developed a vegetation-climate model demonstrating that Amazon deforestation causes degradation in distant areas due to water scarcity. The study finds that for every 100 trees deforested, an average of 22 additional trees die in other regions. This process threatens to push the forest toward a 'point of no return,' where a deforestation threshold of 40% could lead to a total climate collapse and a 60% loss of vegetation density.