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This document is a summary of findings and orders from the High Court of Kenya regarding Petition No 22 of 2012. The court addressed various legal and procedural challenges brought by petitioners against the LAPSSET Project, specifically focusing on environmental assessments, public participation, indigenous rights, and the protection of cultural heritage in Lamu County.

The document outlines the process of creating community protocols—codified rules and procedures based on customary law—to help communities manage interactions with external parties like governments and investors. It details the role of facilitators, the common elements of a protocol (such as identity, values, and governance), and strategies for using these documents for advocacy, negotiation, and conflict resolution. A significant focus is placed on ensuring Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) and challenging top-down impact assessments through community-led evidence.

The Community Protocols Toolbox is a guide designed for NGOs and civil society to support local communities in documenting their identity, customary laws, and development priorities. It emphasizes a participatory, community-led process to enable meaningful engagement and free, prior and informed consent (FPIC) when facing industrial investment projects. The toolbox includes practical methodologies—textual, visual, verbal, and dramatic—to map territories, analyze power dynamics, and navigate legal landscapes across national and international frameworks.

This document contains the Terms of Reference (TOR) for an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) study for the construction of salt works by Al-Sherman Limited in Kilifi County, Kenya. The proposed facility will use solar technology to produce salt from seawater and will occupy approximately 753.8 hectares of land.

The document explains how international law, primarily through the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), protects traditional knowledge and customary sustainable use of biodiversity. It details the obligations of CBD Parties under Articles 8(j) and 10(c), outlines voluntary instruments like the Akwé: Kon Guidelines and the Tkarihwaié:ri Code of Ethical Conduct, and discusses other frameworks such as UNDRIP and ILO 169. The guide highlights opportunities for communities to advocate for broader rights and challenges such as the restrictive 'compatibility' requirements for legal protection.

The report assesses how communities in South Africa have used litigation, protest, and media coverage to combat the impacts of coal and platinum mining. It identifies significant failures in the regulatory governance of the Department of Mineral Resources (DMR) and Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS), noting a 'compliance and enforcement deficit' caused by legislative loopholes and conflicts of interest. While litigation is the most frequent strategy, the report argues that a multi-pronged approach combining legal action with community mobilisation is most effective. It highlights severe impacts including water pollution, displacement, and health crises like silicosis and black lung disease.

The report concludes that the environmental impact assessment (EIA) for exploration drilling in block ER236 was scientifically inadequate regarding anthropogenic noise. The author argues that the study's determination of 'minor' noise impacts is premature because it failed to include an acoustician on the team and ignored critical factors such as the effects on commercially important fish, prey species, and the physiological impacts on sound-sensitive taxa. Specific failures identified include the omission of Vertical Seismic Profiling (VSP) analysis, the lack of baseline soundscape data, and the failure to model sound propagation in the Indian Ocean, which could affect Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) and Critical Biodiversity Areas (CBAs) like the Protea Banks and the Sardine Route. The report also highlights risks to migrating humpback and right whales, as well as nesting sea turtles, and calls for the adoption of the precautionary approach as outlined in IWC Resolution 2018-4.

The document outlines a proposal by TotalEnergies, Shell, and PetroSA to drill up to five exploration wells in Block 5/6/7 off the coast of the Western Cape, South Africa. It argues that the project is unnecessary for energy security, contradicts South Africa's climate commitments to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius, and poses significant risks to marine biodiversity and local industries like fishing and tourism. The text also highlights the poor environmental and ethical track records of TotalEnergies and Shell in other African nations.

Natural Justice argues that the EIA for Reconnaissance Energy Namibia's 2D seismic survey in the Kavango Sedimentary Basin fails to meet the 2012 EIA Regulations. The organization claims the assessment lacks a 'need and desirability' analysis, relies on an inadequate four-day baseline survey, and ignores significant impacts on endangered species like African wild dogs, pangolins, and elephants. Furthermore, it asserts that the project violates indigenous rights by failing to obtain free, prior, and informed consent and ignores Namibia's climate change policies and international treaty obligations regarding the Kavango-Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area and the Okavango Delta.

The report details the findings of a 16-month community environmental audit in Penhalonga, Zimbabwe, conducted between 2017 and 2018. It identifies significant legal and environmental violations by two gold mining companies: Redwing Mine, which is linked to air pollution from tailings dumps, water pollution from sewage and chemical runoff, and labor rights violations; and DTZ-OZGEO, which caused extensive degradation of the Mutare River, land abandonment, and cultural desecration. The document also notes a lack of transparency regarding new diamond mining prospects by the Zimbabwe Consolidated Diamond Company (ZCDC) and proposes specific environmental and social remedies.

The document outlines the legal challenges faced by communities regarding land and resource rights, specifically the lack of recognition for customary laws and state ownership of sub-soil resources. It provides a comprehensive directory of international instruments, such as the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and ILO Convention 169, as well as business and finance guidelines (e.g., UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, IFC Performance Standards) that can be used to empower communities. The guide suggests including customary laws, governance structures, and specific national/international legal references in community protocols to define terms for external engagement and protect cultural and environmental heritage.

The document advocates for a broad interpretation of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), arguing that agencies must analyze indirect environmental impacts beyond proximate effects, specifically in the context of a Surface Transportation Board decision regarding a railway in Utah's Uinta Basin.

The report examines how environmental issues in Cyprus can either exacerbate conflict or facilitate peace-building. It analyzes the political, legal, and administrative asymmetries between the Republic of Cyprus and the Turkish Cypriot administration, noting that fragmented planning leads to environmental degradation, such as illegal quarrying in the Pentadaktylos and Androlikou/Gündoğdu areas. The document reviews various levels of cooperation, from intergovernmental organizations like the UN and EU to the Bi-communal Technical Committee on the Environment (BTCE) and grassroots ENGOs. It concludes with proposals for a Buffer Zone Peace Park, UNESCO Biosphere Reserves, and a bi-communal ecological studies centre in Varisheia to foster long-term reconciliation.

The document is a template for an Environmental and Social Management Plan (ESMP) designed for clean energy mini-grids, particularly solar hybrid systems. It outlines the purpose of an ESMP as a tool to eliminate or reduce adverse risks during a project's life cycle, from construction to decommissioning. The guide details specific environmental and social risks associated with key components—such as PV panels, battery banks, and fuel generators—and provides corresponding mitigation and monitoring measures. It also includes a matrix of minimum environmental and social parameters (indicators) that proponents should track across different project phases.

The Environmental Loadings Factors screen allows users to define environmental impacts for technologies as either numeric values or expressions. It provides tools for selecting numerator and denominator units, converting between different unit sets based on technology efficiency or transportation service, and calculating final controlled loading factors when pollution controls are applied.

The Effects screen in LEAP allows users to view, edit, and add data for 258 default environmental effects, including greenhouse gases and local air pollutants. The software integrates GWP values from IPCC Assessment Reports (AR1 through AR6), enabling users to calculate emissions in physical tonnes or CO2 equivalents. While the main system focuses on effects directly associated with energy use, the Impact Benefits Calculator (IBC) module can be used for indirect health and air quality impacts at a national scale.

The report analyzes 139 decisions from the Estonian Ministry of the Environment and the Environmental Board between 2010 and 2014. It finds that while supervisors generally confirm legal compliance, they often fail to document whether the information provided in EIA and SEA documents is sufficient or appropriate for decision-making. The analysis reveals a lack of consistency in the structure of approval letters and a tendency to overlook procedural errors if they are deemed not to affect the final outcome. The author recommends standardizing the structure of approval decisions and introducing specific control questions to ensure a more rigorous assessment of document quality and public participation.

The document introduces the LEAP simulation model, which is used for energy demand and supply analysis, forecasting, and impact assessment, particularly in developing countries. It details the model's five modules: demand, transformation, biomass, environment, and evaluation. To provide practical experience, the guide uses a case study of the 'Wood Hills district'—a rural tropical area—to walk users through exercises in organizing energy demand data, calculating charcoal conversion efficiencies, assessing biomass resource accessibility, and developing comparative scenarios to evaluate interventions like improved cookstoves.

The document provides a comprehensive multilingual glossary of terms essential for those working or studying in the fields of sustainable development, environmental policy, and human development. It covers a wide array of topics including renewable energy, ecological economics, climate change, and social indicators, aiming to standardize the understanding of these concepts within the context of Agenda 21 and sustainable development in Estonia.

The document serves as a comprehensive manual for navigating the technical, legal, and administrative processes of deploying wind and solar energy in Estonia. It covers everything from initial site selection and environmental impact assessments to detailed planning, building permits, and grid connection. It emphasizes the role of local governments in implementing national energy goals and provides specific guidance on mitigating environmental impacts and ensuring community benefit.