Search Climate Insights Directory

The report posits that climate justice is unattainable without 'democratic communication and information' that empowers frontline communities. Through case studies in Colombia, Nepal, and Nigeria, it demonstrates how community radio, public dialogues, and community-led data collection bridge the gap between high-level policy and local realities, countering disinformation and ensuring that indigenous and local knowledge inform environmental governance.

The Centre for Environmental Rights (CER) submitted comments on the South African National Petroleum Company Bill, B2 - 2026, arguing that the draft legislation prioritizes petroleum expansion and commercialization over environmental governance, climate commitments, and constitutional rights. While acknowledging the potential for improved coordination by consolidating PetroSA, iGas, and the Strategic Fuel Fund, the CER recommends rejecting the Bill in its current form until significant amendments are made to align it with South Africa's climate obligations and environmental laws.

The Centre for Environmental Rights (CER), on behalf of several partner organisations, submitted a formal comment to the South African Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE) regarding the proposed "Flexible Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) system." The CER argues that the shift from a rules-based system to one based on administrative discretion risks violating constitutional rights to a healthy environment and just administrative action, potentially weakening environmental protections and public participation.

The report examines the systemic failure of mine closure and rehabilitation in Mpumalanga, South Africa, highlighting a dangerous reliance on third-party financial guarantees over ring-fenced cash. It identifies a significant gap where older mining rights are exempt from stricter 2015 financial provisioning regulations and notes that large-scale mines rarely receive formal closure certificates. Through a PAIA information request, the report reveals that the Department of Mineral and Petroleum Resources (DMPR) lacks a system to verify if provided funds are sufficient for actual rehabilitation costs. It concludes with recommendations for a regional closure framework, mandatory proactive disclosure of environmental data, and a shift toward rehabilitation trust funds to protect the public from inheriting environmental liabilities.

Civil society organisations in Madagascar are advocating for urgent land governance reforms to combat corruption, land grabbing, and fragile tenure security. They recommend prioritising local farmers, women, and youth over foreign investors, formalising community land rights, and ensuring local communities have a central role in environmental and investment projects.

The report analyzes the evolution of state governance in the Global South, identifying a disconnect between political participation and institutional capacity. It employs a horizon scan across five domains and develops four scenarios—the Growth World, Sustainable World, Divided World, and World at War—to model potential governance trajectories. Key findings highlight the rise of hybrid governance, the destabilizing effect of extreme inequality, and the urgent need for anticipatory governance to manage systemic shocks like the global debt crisis and climate vulnerability.

The ISP-CWP will hold its first Plenary session from February 2-6, 2026, in Geneva to finalize foundational governance elements. Key agenda items include the Rules of Procedure, a Conflict of Interest Policy, and the Work Program and Deliverables Process. The document warns that consensus-based decision-making may lead to 'lowest-common-denominator' outcomes and that restrictions on observer participation, the conflation of Indigenous Peoples with local communities, and the exclusion of gender-responsive science could undermine the Panel's legitimacy and effectiveness.

The report 'Filling the Infrastructure Gap' asserts that climate justice cannot be achieved without 'information justice,' arguing that independent and grassroots communication systems are critical infrastructure. Through case studies, it shows how community radio in Colombia's páramos, public dialogues in Nepal's hydropower regions, and community-led data collection in Nigeria's Niger Delta empower frontline communities to challenge disinformation, produce evidence of environmental harm, and hold decision-makers accountable. The document concludes that investments in local media, digital inclusion, and Indigenous communication are strategic climate justice interventions necessary for equitable environmental governance.

The report provides a comparative analysis of how 16 countries and territories are operationalising OECMs through five primary legal and policy pathways: ministerial instruments, national guidelines, administrative procedures, sector-based recognition, and mechanisms for areas beyond national jurisdiction. It finds a high degree of global convergence and alignment with the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) Decision 14/8 criteria, while noting that countries adapt these standards to fit their specific governance and legal contexts. The document highlights the rapid growth in OECM reporting between 2021 and 2025 and provides recommendations for scaling these frameworks globally.

The report analyzes how 16 reporting jurisdictions and several others in development operationalize OECMs through five primary pathways: ministerial instruments, national guidelines, administrative procedures, sector-based recognition, and mechanisms for areas beyond national jurisdiction. It finds a strong global convergence toward the terminology and criteria of CBD Decision 14/8, while noting that most countries prefer non-legislative policy tools over new laws to achieve conservation outcomes.

The document outlines a structured approach to move from human-tiger conflict to coexistence, utilizing the C2C (Conflict to Coexistence) methodology. It defines conflict and coexistence as dynamic spectrums influenced by risk, tolerance, and management effectiveness. The report details four key outcomes for monitoring—People, Livelihoods & Assets, Wildlife, and Habitat—and proposes a collaborative decision-making process using the nominal group technique to prioritize interventions. It summarizes 29 interventions, ranging from preventative measures like livestock enclosures and predator alert systems to response strategies like cognitive behavioral therapy, and evaluates their effectiveness based on robust evidence. Additionally, it presents nine monitoring tools and a theoretical framework for policy advocacy to support long-term sustainable management of tiger landscapes.

The document examines the synergy between agroextractive settlements (PAEs) and community fishing agreements in the Lower Amazon, specifically focusing on PAE Lago Grande and APes Curuai. It highlights how these hybrid governance structures support biodiversity and traditional livelihoods but are threatened by land tenure insecurity, illegal mining, and insufficient state monitoring. The report argues that recognizing such areas as Other Effective Area-based Conservation Measures (OECM/OMEC) could strengthen territorial defense and inclusive conservation.

The report examines Bolivia's conservation landscape, highlighting a tension between formal state strategies and local practices. While Bolivia has a robust system of protected areas and land tenure, conservation outside these areas is often hindered by state priorities favoring extractivism and agribusiness. The document argues that indigenous territories and community-led initiatives offer significant potential for OECM recognition, provided that the state shifts toward a more inclusive, less bureaucratic, and better-funded support system that aligns with local livelihoods.

The report examines the potential for implementing OECMs (meccs) in Brazil to achieve the '30x30' biodiversity goals. It analyzes various spatial mechanisms, including protected areas (UCs), Indigenous lands (TIs), Quilombola territories (TQs), and private lands. The document highlights that while formal protected areas are established, significant conservation occurs in traditional territories and private lands that lack formal recognition. It identifies land tenure insecurity as a primary obstacle to inclusive conservation and proposes that the mecc framework be used to prioritize land regularization for traditional peoples and communities (PCTs). The report concludes with recommendations to integrate meccs with social policies, ensure equitable governance, and provide technical and financial support to local actors.

The report examines Ecuador's conservation landscape, highlighting the tension between a strong legal framework for biodiversity and a dominant extractivist economic model. It evaluates various conservation modalities, including the SNAP and OECMs, and argues that for OECMs to be truly inclusive, they must move beyond symbolic recognition to provide tangible benefits, secure land tenure, and respect the self-determination of Indigenous Peoples and local communities.

The report examines the proliferation of over 100 sustainability standards and initiatives (SSIs) in the minerals and metals sector, noting that their number has doubled in 20 years. While SSIs can complement regulation, their fragmentation creates confusion. The authors propose 15 hallmarks to evaluate SSI credibility and call for prioritized independent impact assessments and improved interoperability.

The briefing highlights a dangerous pattern of missing or inconsistent data on oil accidents across the Americas, noting that only Brazil, Canada, and the United States maintain regularly updated open datasets. Even in these countries, critical information such as ecological damage, human health impacts, and the responsible companies is often omitted. The document emphasizes that this lack of transparency violates international norms and obscures the systemic vulnerabilities of an interconnected petroleum supply chain, particularly in sensitive regions like the Amazon where ageing infrastructure poses significant risks.

The document lists various academic courses and MOOCs that emphasize transdisciplinary approaches to solving complex social and environmental challenges. Key themes include sustainable urban development, environmental justice, indigenous perspectives on climate adaptation, and the intersection of science, policy, and public engagement.

The IAI Executive Directorate report details progress on science diplomacy, climate-health research, and ocean science between June and October 2025. Key achievements include the establishment of the IAI Science Diplomacy Center, new partnerships with the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and American Geophysical Union (AGU), and the development of transdisciplinary training programs on tropical forests and ocean systems. The report also highlights efforts to integrate indigenous peoples through the IPAC and preparations for COP30 in Brazil.

The report examines the evolution of state governance in the Global South, utilizing World Bank governance indicators and four global scenarios (Growth, Sustainable, Divided, and War) to project potential outcomes. It highlights a critical gap between political participation and institutional performance, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America, and warns of the systemic risks posed by rising debt, digital divides, and climate vulnerability. The analysis suggests that future state legitimacy will shift from procedural norms toward tangible performance and hybrid governance models that integrate traditional and non-state authorities.