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The International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) calls for broad stakeholder engagement in the public consultation of the draft UNIDROIT–ICC Instrument on International Investment Contracts, running from June 24 to September 15, 2026. IISD argues that the final instrument must prioritize sustainable development over traditional investor protections, transforming aspirational sustainability commitments into binding obligations and avoiding open-ended protection standards typical of old-generation investment treaties.

The document opposes the February 2026 repeal of the EPA's 2009 Endangerment Finding, which established that greenhouse gas pollution endangers human health and welfare. It argues that the repeal disproportionately harms low-income communities and communities of color, while creating regulatory uncertainty for the heavy-duty trucking industry and potentially costing Americans $180 billion over the next decade.

The document highlights a critical gap in investment governance: while international investment treaties have undergone significant reform, investor-state contracts remain largely marginalized and outdated. These contracts often contain stabilization clauses and tax incentives that restrict a state's regulatory space and can neutralize treaty-level safeguards. The brief also notes a rise in contract-based investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS), which is often more opaque than treaty-based arbitration. To address these risks, the authors recommend strengthening national institutional coordination, centralizing and assessing existing contracts, and developing national model contracts. Globally, they advocate for integrating contract reform into broader investment governance discussions and developing regional guidance to reduce negotiation asymmetries.

The document argues that the European Commission is increasingly abandoning impact assessments (IAs) and public consultations under the guise of 'political urgency', which ClientEarth claims increases legal risks and the likelihood of unintended environmental and social consequences. It recommends strictly limiting IA exemptions, increasing transparency by publishing assessments earlier in the legislative process, and ensuring balanced stakeholder representation to prevent corporate capture. Additionally, it criticizes the use of 'Omnibus' proposals for simplification, suggesting instead that the Commission focus on removing truly duplicative requirements and tying EU funding to law compliance.

The document distills key findings from the ICJ's July 2025 advisory opinion, establishing the right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment as a binding norm of international law and a precondition for other human rights. It outlines State obligations to protect the climate system, the material scope of wrongful acts—including omissions related to fossil fuel subsidies and licenses—and the legal consequences of breaches, such as full reparation. The briefing also categorizes types of climate litigation, such as cases treating the right to a healthy environment as an autonomous right or linking it to the rights of nature, to illustrate how the ICJ's reasoning can be applied in domestic and international courts.

The document argues that the European Commission's proposed amendments to the EU Plant Protection Products Regulation (EC) No 1107/2009 would significantly degrade health and environmental protections. Key concerns include the shift toward unlimited approval durations for active substances, the 'freezing' of scientific knowledge during national authorisations, and the introduction of broad exemptions for biocontrol and low-risk substances. The authors contend these changes violate the precautionary principle and the high level of protection required by the TFEU and the Charter of Fundamental Rights. Furthermore, the document criticizes the Commission's procedural failures, specifically the absence of a comprehensive impact assessment and insufficient stakeholder consultation.

The Atlas of Energy Soils of Barrancabermeja identifies solar energy as the most viable renewable resource for the municipality due to high and homogeneous irradiation levels. While the resource is abundant, 62% of the territory is restricted by environmental and regulatory factors, primarily related to the region's complex hydrological network and protected areas. The analysis validates four planned solar farm polygons (Galias 1, 2, 3, and El Tiburón) as being located in unrestricted areas. The document recommends updating the municipal Land Use Plan (POT) to formally integrate energy planning and the identified solar potential.

The research investigates the 'soft securitization' of offshore wind energy in Sweden, finding a disconnect between the European Union's framing of wind energy as a security imperative and Sweden's technical planning approach, while noting that national defence actors exert significant non-transparent influence over outcomes.

The Brazilian competition authority (Cade) has suspended the Amazon Soy Moratorium, a voluntary agreement where soy and animal feed companies pledged not to buy soybeans from areas deforested in the Amazon after 2008. The author contends that the moratorium was an economic and environmental success, saving an estimated 18,000 square kilometers in its first decade while allowing agricultural expansion onto previously degraded lands. The document asserts that the suspension, driven by meat and feed industry lobbyists, is illegal under the Brazilian Constitution's principle of environmental protection. Mighty Earth intends to pressure retail sellers of meat to ensure commercial consequences for deforestation and advocates for a shift toward alternative proteins.

Research indicates that while 74% of people in Britain consider climate change important, there is deep distrust in politics and a tendency to avoid the topic due to negative feelings. The report recommends that communicators ditch technical jargon, focus on positive future visions, and avoid overestimating opposition to net zero. For policymakers, it suggests prioritizing local infrastructure that lowers energy bills, accelerating inclusive solar panel roll-out, cracking down on pollution, and investing in genuine local engagement to counter top-down distrust.

The document finds that while 74% of people in Britain consider climate change an important issue, their support for specific actions is heavily influenced by the language used. Framing climate action as 'protecting our environment' (59% support) is more effective than using technical terms like 'net zero' (43% support). There is a strong, unifying connection between climate change and nature, with 'harm to nature and wildlife' being the top concern for 41% of respondents. The report highlights that people across all socio-economic backgrounds are concerned, though many distance themselves from the topic due to immediate life pressures or the depressing nature of the subject. It recommends using tangible, local examples of progress and a holistic approach that links climate action with nature preservation to increase public engagement.

ClientEarth and nine other organisations challenge the European Commission's 'Sixth Omnibus on chemicals' proposal, asserting that it introduces dangerous exceptions for carcinogenic, mutagenic, and reprotoxic substances (CMRs) in cosmetics and rolls back hazard communication rules in the CLP Regulation. The briefing contends that these changes violate the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights, fail to genuinely improve EU competitiveness, and were developed without the legally required public consultations, relying instead on industry-dominated workshops.

The Mineral Resources Development Bill 2025 (MRDB) seeks to reform South African mining laws by amending the Mineral and Petroleum Resources Development Act of 2002 and introducing artisanal and small-scale mining permits. While the government aims to accelerate projects and increase domestic mineral processing, including minerals for clean energy, the document highlights risks to water, soil, air, and land rights for rural communities. It specifically notes that the Bill requires only "meaningful consultation" rather than the standard of free, prior and informed consent.

The Mineral Resources Development Bill 2025 (MRDB) seeks to amend South Africa's mining laws to boost the economy, speed up project approvals, and regulate artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM). While the government aims to increase local mineral processing ('beneficiation') and create jobs, the document highlights significant risks for rural communities, including the lack of a right to give or deny consent to projects and the absence of strict penalties for companies that fail to meet Social and Labour Plan (SLP) commitments.

The document argues for the inclusion of human health protection as a primary objective of the future international treaty on plastic pollution. It proposes an integrated approach covering the full life cycle of plastics and suggests the use of a dedicated article on human health to facilitate international cooperation and complement other treaty provisions.

The document is a formal letter from ClientEarth and other civil society organisations to the European Commission expressing strong opposition to the Sixth Omnibus on chemicals. The authors argue that the proposal, which seeks to simplify requirements in the CLP, Cosmetic Products, and Fertilising Products Regulations, actually promotes deregulation and undermines EU competitiveness by creating regulatory instability. They specifically highlight 'severe cases of maladministration' regarding the proposed rollback of CLP Regulation formatting rules, claiming the Commission bypassed public consultation and lacked a proper evidence basis. The letter warns that these procedural flaws violate EU primary law and the Charter of Fundamental Rights, potentially leading to the legislation being annulled by EU courts.

The document argues that the proposed Omnibus Directive is vulnerable to legal challenges under EU law due to substantive and procedural failures. Substantively, it claims the directive violates the principles of proportionality, legal certainty, and coherence, and breaches the Charter of Fundamental Rights and the EU Climate Law by weakening corporate sustainability and due diligence requirements. Procedurally, it highlights the Commission's failure to conduct required impact assessments, climate-consistency checks, and extensive consultations, which may render the act voidable under the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU).

The document explores the ideological battle over the concept of 'freedom,' contrasting the right-wing's individualistic, consumer-driven 'freedom from constraint' with a proposed 'Green freedom' based on interdependence and ecological limits. It analyzes how this struggle manifests across various domains: the gig economy's algorithmic management, the impact of immersive technologies (XR) on cognitive autonomy, the targeting of gender studies by illiberal regimes, and the need for 'comprehensive security' in the Baltic states that integrates social welfare with military defense. The text argues that for the Green movement to succeed, it must move beyond technical expertise and reclaim freedom as a collective, emancipatory value that decouples wellbeing from economic growth.

French NGOs, gathered in the Citizen’s Forum for Economic Justice, condemn President Emmanuel Macron's announcement at the Choose France summit to set aside the European directive on corporate sustainability due diligence (CSDDD). The NGOs argue that this move aligns France with deregulation policies seen in the US and Germany, undermines multinational accountability, and ignores urgent social and ecological needs during the climate crisis.

The report finds that while a majority of Armenians recognize the impacts of climate change—particularly on health—and support renewable energy, actual personal engagement in environmental activities remains low at 22%. Public trust in environmental action is highest for educational institutions and lowest for the private sector and NGOs. Significant barriers to participation include a lack of time, financial costs, and indifference.