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Climate Justice: Developing a Future UK Agenda for Action
The document describes a one-day event held in June 2017 to evaluate the legacy of the Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF) Climate Justice programme. This programme, which operated from 2009 until its closure, sought to integrate justice into UK climate policy decision-making. The report serves as a summary of the workshop's discussions regarding the requirements for delivering climate justice and the vision for a climate-just 2030.
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Document type: Report
When Rising Seas Hit Home
The Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) defines 'chronic inundation' as tidal flooding affecting 10% or more of a community's usable land at least 26 times per year. Under a moderate (intermediate) scenario, nearly 170 communities will reach this threshold by 2035, increasing to over 270 by 2060 and nearly 490 by 2100. A high scenario projects up to 670 communities affected by 2100, including over 50 populous cities such as New York City (four boroughs), Boston, and Oakland. The report highlights that socioeconomically vulnerable neighborhoods are disproportionately affected and argues that aggressive emissions reductions aligned with the Paris Agreement could spare hundreds of communities from this fate. Adaptation options include defending (seawalls, levees), accommodating (elevating homes, pumps), and managed retreat.
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Document type: Report
Massachusetts Faces WHEN RISING SEAS HIT HOME
The Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) identifies Massachusetts communities at risk of 'chronic inundation'—defined as high tide flooding 10% or more of usable, non-wetland area at least 26 times per year. Under an intermediate sea level rise scenario, five communities will face this by 2060 and 13 by 2100. Under a high scenario, those five communities will be affected by 2045, with 23 communities affected by 2100. The report highlights that working-class towns like Chelsea and Revere are particularly vulnerable, with up to 30% of Chelsea's land area potentially chronically inundated by 2060. The UCS argues that limiting warming to approximately 1.8°C could spare several communities, including Boston and Cambridge, from this fate. Recommended responses include phasing out risky coastal development, enhancing FEMA's mitigation programs, and creating new policies for managed retreat and relocation.
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Document type: Fact sheet
Joint Statement on Commitment to the Paris Climate Agreement
The statement asserts that the U.S. decision to withdraw from the Paris Climate Agreement isolates the country and threatens global efforts to limit temperature rise. It argues that climate protection is essential for the 2030 Agenda, job creation, and the protection of marginalised groups. The signatories call for Germany, the European Union, and middle-income countries in the South to intensify their implementation of the Accord and strengthen international climate alliances to counter the U.S. exit.
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Document type: Statement
EL ACUERDO CALIFORNIA - ACRE - CHIAPAS
The document critiques the 2010 MOU between California, Acre, and Chiapas, which aimed to link California's cap-and-trade system with jurisdictional REDD+ programs in Brazil and Mexico. It argues that these market-based mechanisms lead to human rights violations, territorial conflicts, and the marginalization of indigenous peoples. In Acre, the report highlights methodological flaws in emission baselines and the failure of social projects. In Chiapas, it notes the rise of land-grabbing for African palm monocultures and significant public debt to the World Bank and IDB. The report concludes that REDD+ serves as a tool for capital accumulation rather than a genuine solution to climate change, recommending a shift toward recognizing land tenure and autonomous territorial management.
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Document type: Report
ATALC denuncia violaciones a los derechos humanos y criminalización al pueblo brasilero por parte del gobierno de Michel Temer
ATALC condemns the use of the army to repress social mobilizations in Brazil and the declaration of a state of siege in Brasilia. The organization links these actions to a neoliberal agenda that targets food sovereignty and climate justice, while reporting a massacre of peasants in Pará driven by agribusiness interests.
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Document type: Statement
ATALC dénonce les violations des droits de l’homme et la criminalisation du peuple brésilien commises par le gouvernement de Michel Temer
ATALC condemns the government of Michel Temer for deploying the army to repress social protests in Brazil and establishing a state of siege in Brasilia. The organization highlights the targeting of movements fighting for food sovereignty and climate justice, reports a massacre of peasants in Pará linked to agribusiness interests, and calls for direct elections to restore democracy.
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Document type: Statement
State repression and violence in Brazil escalate as Michel Temer’s administration deploys the army against civilians
Friends of the Earth Latin America and the Caribbean (ATALC) condemns the Brazilian government's use of military force to repress social mobilizations in May 2017, specifically the State of Emergency in Brasilia. The organization highlights the targeting of movements such as the Landless Workers Movement (MST) and reports a massacre of peasants in Pará State to protect agribusiness interests, arguing that these actions undermine food sovereignty and climate justice.
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Document type: Statement
Journée internationale de la diversité biologique: célébrez-la en protégeant la biodiversité, plutôt qu’en promouvant le tourisme
Friends of the Earth International criticizes the UN Convention on Biological Diversity's 2017 theme of tourism, asserting that mass tourism causes significant ecological devastation and human rights abuses. The statement contends that 'sustainable tourism' initiatives are often superficial and that the industry's growth—particularly in aviation—is incompatible with climate and biodiversity goals. It advocates for policies that prioritize the self-determination of local and indigenous communities over the interests of transnational corporations.
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Document type: Statement
Advancing climate adaptation practices and solutions: emerging research priorities
The document outlines the transition of climate adaptation research from descriptive impact assessments to a fourth generation focused on acceleration and implementation. Drawing on the Adaptation Futures 2016 conference, it proposes research priorities across five key messages: managing interconnected risks, fostering diverse partnerships, engaging the private sector, reinforcing the link between research 'on' and 'for' adaptation, and shifting monitoring from process to progress.
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Document type: Research paper
Delivering Opportunity
The report argues that electrifying heavy-duty vehicles in California can significantly reduce hazardous air pollutants and global warming emissions while creating economic opportunities. It finds that battery and fuel cell electric buses have substantially lower life cycle emissions than diesel or CNG alternatives. The authors highlight that low-income communities and people of color are disproportionately exposed to heavy-duty vehicle pollution. While the sector offers growth in manufacturing, infrastructure, and maintenance, the report emphasizes the need for targeted electrical skills training to make these jobs accessible to underserved populations.
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Document type: Report
Peoples Climate March Will Show the World Americans Care about Climate Change
The author calls for a large turnout at the 2017 Peoples Climate March in Washington, D.C., to signal that Americans still care about climate change despite the political climate of the Trump administration. The text highlights the 2014 march as a catalyst for previous U.S. climate actions, such as the Clean Power Plan and the Paris agreement, and emphasizes the need for solidarity and systemic political accountability to protect the planet.
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Document type: Statement
SUBMISSIONS BY THE CENTRE FOR ENVIRONMENTAL RIGHTS TO THE NATIONAL COUNCIL OF PROVINCES ON THE MINERAL AND PETROLEUM RESOURCES DEVELOPMENT AMENDMENT BILL [B 15D-2013]
The Centre for Environmental Rights (CER) submits that the Mineral and Petroleum Resources Development Amendment Bill [B 15D-2013] is vulnerable to constitutional challenge due to procedural irregularities in Parliament. The CER argues that the Bill dilutes the rights of women and communities to benefit from mineral resources and fails to align environmental management of mines with the higher standards of the National Environmental Management Act (NEMA). Specifically, the CER opposes the 'deeming' of old-order environmental management programmes as NEMA authorisations, which it claims exonerates companies operating illegally. The submission also calls for the Department of Mineral Resources to be stripped of environmental regulation duties, citing a lack of capacity and an inherent conflict of interest between promoting mining and protecting the environment.
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Document type: Statement
Anniversaire de l’assassinat de Berta Cáceres
The statement commemorates the anniversary of the murder of Berta Cáceres, a Lenca indigenous activist killed for opposing dams on the Gualcarque River in Honduras. It links the struggle for territorial protection with the fight against capitalist and patriarchal systems that exploit both the environment and women. Friends of the Earth International calls for justice for Cáceres and other murdered women defenders, denouncing the institutionalized violence and impunity faced by indigenous and grassroots movements globally.
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Document type: Statement
The Governance of Adaptation Financing: Pursuing Legitimacy at Multiple Levels
The study examines the legitimacy of climate change adaptation funds in the Asia-Pacific region, identifying that these funds rely on diverse sources of legitimacy such as ethics, transparency, and effectiveness. It finds that while funds are often justified by their benefit to vulnerable groups, they are primarily legitimized to state actors. The emergence of a multi-level financing architecture presents both new legitimacy challenges and opportunities to improve ground-level outcomes through better access for vulnerable communities.
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Document type: Research paper
Panorama dos PNA: Iniciando a Integração Vertical: vinculando processos nacionais e subnacionais de planejamento de adaptação
The document defines Vertical Integration as the strategic linking of national and sub-national efforts in climate adaptation. It emphasizes that this process ensures adaptation considerations are integrated across all levels of government and society, leveraging local expertise to support vulnerable groups. The text identifies institutional frameworks, information sharing, and capacity development as the three key drivers of this integration. It further explains that while decentralization provides a strong foundation for Vertical Integration by shifting decision-making closer to citizens, countries with less advanced decentralization must find alternative ways to engage sub-national actors.
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Document type: Fact sheet
Using Time-Varying Rates to Boost Renewables and Save Money
The document advocates for a transition from flat electricity rates to time-varying pricing to better align consumer demand with the availability of renewable energy. It details three primary rate structures—Time-of-Use, Critical Peak Pricing, and Real-Time Pricing—and explains how households can respond through discretionary shifts, interruptible loads, and energy storage. Using a pilot program from the Sacramento Municipal Utility District as a case study, the brief demonstrates that default enrollment in time-varying rates is more cost-effective and achieves higher aggregate savings than voluntary opt-in programs. The authors emphasize the need for transparent customer education, 'shadow billing,' and protections for low-income and vulnerable populations to ensure an equitable transition.
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Document type: Policy brief
Global Climate Justice Movements Refuse to Be Overshadowed by Election of Climate Change Denier to U.S. Presidency
A coalition of global climate justice movements, gathered at COP22, issued a statement asserting that the election of Donald Trump must not derail global climate action. The signatories argue that Trump represents a broken economic system driven by corporate interests and fossil fuel lobbyists. They call for the end of all fossil fuel extraction, a transition to 100% renewable energy, and the fulfillment of climate finance and technology transfer commitments by rich nations. The document urges U.S. subnational governments to resist the federal administration's agenda and calls for a broad-based progressive movement to address intersecting injustices, including racism and sexism, alongside the climate crisis.
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Document type: Statement
Opa-locka and Hialeah, Florida: Grappling with Decades of Storm Impacts
The document details how the low-lying cities of Opa-locka and Hialeah in Miami-Dade County are susceptible to inland flooding and storm surges due to their porous limestone geography and rising sea levels. It highlights the compounding effects of poverty, lack of health insurance, and food insecurity on the resilience of these majority-minority populations. Through resident testimonies, the text describes the inadequate government recovery efforts following Hurricane Wilma in 2005 and the increasing frequency of routine flooding, arguing that economic revitalization efforts must integrate climate resilience to protect property values and public safety.
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Document type: Case study
Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana: Sinking Land and Rising Seas Mean Tough Choices
Plaquemines Parish faces extreme risks from relative sea level rise and land subsidence, which is exacerbated by oil and gas operations and upstream flood control. The region has lost 2,300 square miles of wetlands since 1932, leaving communities vulnerable to storm surges and flooding. Predominantly Black communities, such as Ironton and Woodland, experience a confluence of socioeconomic vulnerability and pollution from refineries and coal terminals. While Louisiana's 2012 Comprehensive Master Plan for a Sustainable Coast proposes a $50 billion investment in defenses like the Mid-Barataria Sediment Diversion, critics argue the plan may use inadequate sea level rise projections and fail to protect all communities. Local residents emphasize the need for equitable resource distribution and local employment in restoration projects to ensure communities are made whole.
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Document type: Case study