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The document argues that while Bill S-5 is a positive step toward modernizing CEPA, it requires further amendments to ensure the right to a healthy environment is robustly implemented and that toxic substance assessments and risk management are transparent and timely. Key recommendations include establishing mandatory labelling for hazardous consumer products, setting strict timelines for substance assessments, and shifting the burden of proof for confidentiality claims to the requesting party.

The document argues that the DOE's proposed 4 kgCO2e/kgH2 standard is too weak and should be lowered to 1 kgCO2e/kgH2 to prioritize truly zero-emission hydrogen. It criticizes the GREET model for underestimating methane leakage and grid emissions, warns against the safety and environmental risks of carbon capture and storage (CCS), and demands that the hydrogen hub program incorporate strict environmental justice protections and community engagement.

The briefing highlights the economic and environmental value of urban nature—such as forests, street trees, and wetlands—as a tool for climate mitigation and adaptation. It asserts that the global value of urban nature's benefits is nine times its costs and provides specific examples from Sacramento, Ahmedabad, and Curitiba to demonstrate how nature-based solutions can reduce building energy demand, lower the carbon footprint of stormwater management, and decrease transportation emissions. The document concludes by calling for an increase in annual investment in urban nature projects from $32 billion to $135 billion by 2030 to realize an estimated $2 trillion in annual net benefits.

Earthjustice criticizes the continued reliance on a centralized fossil-fuel energy grid in Puerto Rico, citing the failure of LNG and coal plants and the resulting energy-related deaths following Hurricane Fiona. The organization advocates for the use of unspent FEMA funds to implement distributed rooftop solar and storage systems, as supported by US Department of Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm and local communities like Adjuntas.

A 50-state survey by Global Energy Monitor reveals that major U.S. corporations in the tech, banking, and insurance sectors frequently employ lobbyists who also represent fossil fuel interests. This creates a paradox where companies with public net-zero pledges provide political cover and credibility to lobbyists promoting continued fossil fuel dependence. The report highlights specific companies—such as Amazon, State Farm, and Bank of America—and notes that weak state disclosure laws and the absence of a national database hinder accountability.

The statement highlights the high risks faced by environmental defenders in Latin America, noting that 200 deaths were recorded in 2020 alone. It criticizes the lack of effective protection provided by the Escazu Agreement and the 30x30 conservation project, emphasizing that indigenous people and women are disproportionately targeted. The text calls for UN and US government intervention to protect these activists.

The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) of 2022 represents the largest congressional action to date on climate change, allocating nearly $370 billion toward disadvantaged communities and clean energy. It introduces technology-neutral tax credits starting in 2025, a 10-year runway for energy incentives, and significant funding for domestic manufacturing of solar, wind, and batteries. Rhodium Group modeling suggests the IRA could increase U.S. greenhouse gas reductions to 31%-44% by 2030, potentially meeting the U.S. nationally determined contribution when combined with other agency and local actions. The law also establishes the $27 billion Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund and provides incentives for electric vehicle adoption, though domestic content requirements may affect the scale of EV growth.

The document describes resilience hubs as community-serving facilities designed to provide essential resources and reliable power during extreme weather events. It outlines a framework for implementation, emphasizing the importance of community buy-in, strategic siting in trusted locations, and the integration of energy efficiency, solar power, and battery storage to ensure 'hours of safety' for vulnerable residents. The guide also highlights available federal funding sources, such as the Inflation Reduction Act and the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities program, to support these initiatives.

The Pembroke-Hopkins Park Energy Efficiency Pilot (PEEP) provides an alternative to fossil fuel infrastructure in rural Illinois by implementing energy efficiency and electrification upgrades in low-income homes. The project, led by the Community Development Corporation of Pembroke and Hopkins Park (CDC-PHP) in collaboration with RMI and other partners, replaces propane and wood heating with electric air source heat pumps and induction stoves while improving insulation. Early results show reduced energy bills and improved indoor comfort for participants. The project aims to serve as a transferable model for other disenfranchised rural communities across the United States by focusing on community trust and relatable examples of clean energy success.

Community groups, represented by Earthjustice, are challenging the issuance of restricted materials permits in Monterey County, California. They argue that the Agricultural Commissioner failed to conduct required environmental impact analyses, ignored local conditions—specifically the proximity of three schools—and neglected to consider cumulative health effects of multiple pesticides on children and farmworkers. The request seeks the rescission of these permits and a stay on all pesticide applications within a one-mile radius of the affected schools.

The paper contends that particulate matter emissions cause significant health crises—including up to 200,000 annual deaths—which disproportionately affect communities of color and low-income individuals. It criticizes the EPA for failing to strengthen National Ambient Air Quality Standards and for not enforcing sanctions on states in nonattainment. However, it identifies the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2021 reopening of the particulate matter standards review, and the Biden administration's focus on equity as potential catalysts for change.

The Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment and other groups propose eight priority amendments to Bill S-5 to modernize CEPA. Key recommendations include establishing the right to a healthy environment as a duty, mandating public disclosure of toxic substances in consumer products, setting strict timelines for chemical risk assessments, and limiting the use of Confidential Business Information (CBI) exceptions to increase transparency regarding environmental and health risks.

The Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment (CAPE) urges the Government of Canada to adopt a 'planetary health' framework in its federal budget, arguing that climate change is the most significant global health threat of the 21st century. Key recommendations include reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 140% below 2005 levels by 2030, phasing out fossil fuel subsidies by 2023, and redirecting public finance from Export Development Canada (EDC) away from fossil fuels. CAPE also advocates for a 'wellbeing economy' that defines success beyond GDP, increased funding for the National Adaptation Strategy, and an additional $200 million for the Chemicals Management Plan to protect vulnerable populations from toxic pollution.

The report analyzes the IRA's transportation incentives, including tax credits for new and used EVs, commercial vehicle credits, and charging infrastructure support. Through three modeling scenarios (Low, Moderate, High), it estimates that the IRA can increase passenger EV sales shares to 34% (Moderate) or 39% (High) by 2030 compared to a 29% business-as-usual baseline. It highlights that while commercial and light-duty truck adoption will see significant boosts, passenger EV adoption may be limited in the near term by stringent eligibility requirements regarding North American assembly and sourcing from 'entities of concern'. The authors argue that the IRA is a foundational step but insufficient alone to meet 1.5°C climate goals, recommending complementary EPA tailpipe standards, state-level clean vehicle mandates, and strategic electric grid investments.

The report identifies over 300 LNG projects in pre-construction and construction phases globally, with an estimated cost of US$797 billion. It highlights that the United States has become the world's leading LNG exporter in the first half of 2022 and hosts nearly half of all global export capacity under development. The document argues that this build-out contradicts international climate goals, risks creating stranded assets, and undermines U.S. national interests by increasing domestic energy prices and harming disadvantaged communities on the Gulf Coast. It further contends that 'clean' LNG proposals, such as carbon capture and storage (CCS) or hydrogen repurposing, are insufficient to address the full life cycle emissions of the fuel.

The Center for International Environmental Law, FIAN International, and Earthjustice criticize the Human Rights Council Advisory Committee for failing to conduct meaningful consultations with Indigenous Peoples' organizations and rural communities regarding a study on 'new technologies for climate protection'. The organizations argue that the term is 'deliberately vague' compared to the established term 'geoengineering' and that the study's current outline is biased by assuming the benefits of such technologies rather than objectively analyzing their 'profound, large-scale, foreseeable and irreversible human rights impacts'.

Based on an ethnographic study of a desalination proposal in California, the author argues that the environmental justice frame is being co-opted to facilitate community division and support a luxury commodity, benefiting private sector interests and organized labor over grassroots community groups.

The document describes CCS as an integrated infrastructure for capturing, transporting, and storing CO2. It notes a history of failure, with only 10% of projects between 1995 and 2018 being completed, but highlights a recent surge in investment and project pipelines, particularly in North America and Europe. The author argues that CCS is currently only truly essential for the cement sector, as renewables outperform it in power generation and green hydrogen is expected to undercut blue hydrogen by 2030. It warns against carbon capture and utilisation (CCU) and enhanced oil recovery (EOR) due to high energy requirements and the risk of increasing net emissions.

Earthjustice criticizes the Biden administration for defending a Trump-era policy that overturned a 2016 coal-leasing moratorium. Despite a court ruling that the decision to end the moratorium failed to account for climate impacts, the administration continues to process new lease applications while U.S. coal consumption rose 14% in 2021. The document highlights that as of 2021, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) administered 299 federal coal leases across approximately 458,600 acres, and over 40% of U.S. coal is produced on public lands. Earthjustice calls for the administration to internalize the environmental and social costs of mining and to stop defending resource management plans in the Powder River Basin that ignore the public health impacts of burning publicly-owned coal.

The document is a formal request to the Canadian government to pass Bill C-226, which would create the country's first law addressing environmental racism. The signatories argue that Canada has a documented pattern of placing polluting industries in Indigenous and racialized communities and requires a national strategy to ensure equal protection from environmental hazards.