Search Climate Insights Directory

Friends of the Earth South Africa and groundWork argue that the South African government is rushing to lift the fracking moratorium without transparent impact studies or meaningful public consultation. They contend that promises of job creation by corporations like Royal Dutch Shell are misleading and that fracking would exacerbate socio-economic inequalities and environmental degradation. The authors highlight the climate risk, noting that methane is a more powerful greenhouse gas than CO2, and urge the president to protect regions like the Karoo and KwaZulu-Natal by pursuing renewable energy alternatives.

A coalition of organizations requests transparency regarding EDF Trading's involvement in CDM project 2716 and calls for the project's approval to be withdrawn. The letter cites a Ministry of Environment and Forest report indicating that the project fails to meet sustainable development criteria, harms local fishing and pastoralist communities, and causes significant air pollution. Additionally, the authors argue that the project lacks additionality and relies on a flawed crediting methodology that was suspended in 2011.

A coalition of organizations requests that the French government provide transparency regarding EDF Trading's involvement in and subsequently withdraw its approval for CDM project 2716, a coal-fired power plant in Mundra, India. The authors argue the project fails sustainable development criteria due to environmental damage, lack of community consultation, and flawed carbon crediting methodologies.

The document is a letter from Bikash Rath of the Regional Centre for Development Cooperation to World Bank President Dr. Jim Yong Kim. It demands the withdrawal of International Finance Corporation (IFC) funding from the Tata Mundra - Coastal Gujarat Power Ltd. (CGPL) 4000 MW coal power project in Gujarat, India. The author alleges that the project has caused massive social and environmental damage, including the depletion of groundwater, destruction of mangroves, and severe health impacts on local communities, while failing to conduct proper impact assessments or consult affected fishing and pastoralist groups.

The submission contends that the Department of Mineral Resources (DMR) lacks the human resource capacity, budget, and track record to effectively implement the National Environmental Management Act (NEMA) and its EIA regulations. It highlights a conflict of interest between the DMR's mandate to promote mining and its obligation to protect the environment, citing poor decision-making in sensitive areas and negligible compliance monitoring. The authors argue that transferring these powers to the DMR would be an inefficient use of public funds and potentially unconstitutional, as it impinges on provincial mandates. They recommend that the Minister of Environmental Affairs and provincial Executive Councils remain the sole authorities for issuing and enforcing environmental authorisations.

The document details Rwanda's strategic approach to climate-compatible development, highlighting the 2011 Green Growth and Climate Resilience Strategy (GGCRS) and the establishment of FONERWA, the largest demand-based climate fund in Africa. It emphasizes the integration of climate goals into national development plans like Vision 2020 and EDPRS 2, and the importance of national ownership in managing climate finance.

The policy brief highlights that mangroves are among the world's most threatened vegetation types, with over 20% lost in the last 30 years. It emphasizes that in Africa, mangroves often overlap with fossil fuel deposits and infrastructure projects, leading to degradation. The author advocates for the use of ecosystem valuations, integrated coastal zone management, and the inclusion of local communities in decision-making to reconcile economic growth with biodiversity conservation. Proposed interventions include the adoption of 'no net loss' policies, the use of Strategic Environmental Assessments (SEAs), and the implementation of Payment for Ecosystem Services (PES) and Blue Carbon trading to provide financial incentives for conservation.

Small-scale fisheries in Mozambique support approximately 280,000 fishers and are vital for rural food security, yet they face threats from overfishing, illegal practices, and external economic pressures. While the government has implemented co-management through Conselho Comunitário de Pesca (CCPs) and established a three-mile exclusive-use zone for small-scale fishers, these efforts are hindered by poor financial management of license and park fees. The sector is further pressured by top-down Marine Protected Area (MPA) management, which has created conflicts between fishers and tourism operators, and by high vulnerability to climate-induced droughts, cyclones, and flooding. The document recommends strengthening the role of CCPs in disaster risk preparedness, improving environmental impact assessment (EIA) monitoring, and enhancing cooperation between conservation authorities and fishing communities.

The Lesotho Highlands Water Project (LHWP) is a massive engineering effort to divert water from Lesotho to South Africa's Gauteng province while providing Lesotho with hydroelectric power. While technically successful and economically significant for diversifying Lesotho's revenue, the project has been marred by corruption, inadequate community compensation, and unforeseen environmental stresses. Recent droughts and climate change have increased risks of water scarcity and food insecurity in Lesotho, highlighting the need for adaptive management and better benefit-sharing between the two nations.

The report examines the socio-economic importance of small-scale fisheries in Mozambique, which support approximately 334,000 people. It analyzes the pressures on the sector, including internal issues like overfishing and illegal 'chicocota' netting, and external pressures from the expansion of coal and gas extractive industries, tourism-driven marine protected areas, and climate change. The document evaluates the effectiveness of co-management through Community Fisheries Councils (CCPs) and recommends improving financial transparency, community involvement in environmental impact assessments, and adaptive governance to enhance resilience against climate-related hazards.

The document argues that Eskom's applications for emission standard postponements and exemptions are legally invalid because ambient air quality standards (AAQS) are already exceeded in the affected priority areas. It highlights significant health risks, particularly from SO2 and mercury, and criticizes Eskom for failing to consider feasible alternatives such as renewable energy or decommissioning worst-performing plants. The submission also references a World Bank Inspection Panel report on the Medupi Power Plant, which found inadequate consideration of environmental principles, water scarcity risks, and cumulative health impacts.

A coalition of environmental and human rights organizations requests that the UN Independent Expert on Human Rights and the Environment examine the Barro Blanco dam project in Panama. The authors argue that the project, registered under the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM), has proceeded without adequate consultation with the indigenous Ngäbe people, leading to threats to their land, culture, and physical security, including state-sponsored violence against environmental defenders.

A coalition of NGOs requests that UN Special Rapporteur James Anaya intervene in the Barro Blanco hydroelectric project in Panama to protect the Ngäbe people from imminent threats to their territories and physical security. The document argues that the project, expected to be completed by May 2014, will flood indigenous lands and cultural sites, and was approved despite failures in environmental impact assessments and stakeholder consultation. It further highlights reports of police violence against protestors and the Panamanian government's failure to fulfill a March 2012 agreement regarding an expert assessment of the project's controversies.

A group of international and local NGOs is urging the UN Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples to intervene in the Barro Blanco hydroelectric project in Panama. They claim the project threatens the Ngäbe people's territories, culture, and physical security, citing failures in environmental impact assessments and a lack of free, prior and informed consent. The coalition highlights state-sponsored violence against protestors and the Panamanian government's failure to implement a promised expert assessment of the project's impacts.

The document examines South Africa's intention to build a fleet of six new nuclear power stations to add 9,600 MW of capacity by 2020. It highlights the drivers of this expansion—including population growth, ageing infrastructure, and climate targets—while raising significant concerns regarding the financial stability of Eskom, the opacity of the tender process, and the rise of resource nationalism concerning uranium. The paper also details South Africa's nuclear diplomacy within Africa and its relations with global nuclear powers like Russia and France.

Earthjustice and Gas Free Seneca are challenging proposals by subsidiaries of Inergy Midstream to utilize underground salt caverns for gas storage at Seneca Lake. The coalition argues that these projects threaten the local tourism economy, the lake's ecology, and the drinking water source for over 100,000 people. They are advocating for comprehensive environmental and community impact reviews by the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC).

The document examines the Vegetable Oil Development project (VODP) in Uganda, a partnership involving the Government of Uganda, IFAD, Wilmar International, and Bidco. It reports that the project has led to the displacement of local communities, the destruction of approximately 3,600 hectares of forest, and increased food insecurity. The report highlights violations of national land and environmental laws, the lack of required Environmental Impact Assessments, and the fact that production targets far exceed domestic needs, suggesting a focus on exports over local food security.

The Living Convention is a compendium of internationally recognised rights for Indigenous peoples and local communities. It uses an 'integrated rights approach' to bundle disparate legal provisions from human rights, environmental, and cultural law into a single, accessible resource. The document categorises these into substantive rights (such as land tenure and cultural integrity) and procedural rights (such as free, prior and informed consent), aiming to democratise international law for the stewards of biocultural diversity.

The document serves as a tool to democratize international law by grouping fragmented legal provisions into an integrated framework of 'Traditional Resource Rights'. It categorizes rights into substantive (e.g., land tenure, cultural integrity, and food sovereignty) and procedural (e.g., free, prior and informed consent and impact assessments), while analyzing the legal weight of binding 'hard law' versus non-binding 'soft law'.

The document outlines a ten-step framework for negotiating agricultural investment contracts to ensure sustainable development, emphasizing the need for independent feasibility studies, environmental and social impact assessments, and the protection of local land and water tenure rights. It warns against broad stabilization provisions and advocates for legally binding development obligations and community development agreements to prevent the negative impacts often associated with large-scale foreign land acquisitions.