Search Climate Insights Directory
16 results
INVITATION TO PRESENT ON THE SOCIAL, ECONOMIC AND ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS AND REMEDIATION OF A PROPOSED COAL MINING PROJECT NEAR WAKKERSTROOM
The Centre for Environmental Rights (CER) issued a letter to The Voice Community Representative Council declining an invitation to debate a proposed coal mine by Atha-Africa Ventures Pty Ltd, citing ongoing legal proceedings. Instead, CER invited The Voice to visit Emalahleni, Mpumalanga, to see the actual impacts of coal mining and meet with affected community organisations.
AI-generated
This summary is written by a language model reading the source document. It is not the publisher's words and is not a substitute for the original.
Document type: Statement
Violations of human and environment rights continue
A statement by Friends of the Earth International marking the 5th anniversary of the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, arguing that these principles have failed to stop corporate impunity or provide access to justice, and advocating for a binding UN treaty on business and human rights.
AI-generated
This summary is written by a language model reading the source document. It is not the publisher's words and is not a substitute for the original.
Document type: Statement
SIGNS OF HOPE?
The report 'SIGNS OF HOPE?' by the Centre for Environmental Rights (CER) evaluates the implementation of the Promotion of Access to Information Act (PAIA) regarding environmental records in South Africa from January 2010 to September 2015. It identifies a slow trend toward greater reactive disclosure by authorities and private companies, though proactive disclosure remains poor.
AI-generated
This summary is written by a language model reading the source document. It is not the publisher's words and is not a substitute for the original.
Document type: Report
DRAFT STRATEGY TO ADDRESS AIR POLLUTION IN DENSE LOW-INCOME SETTLEMENTS
The Centre for Environmental Rights (CER) issued a statement to the Director-General of the Department of Environmental Affairs calling for the urgent public release of the 'Strategy to Address Air Pollution in Dense Low-Income Settlements'. The CER argues that the delay in publishing this strategy, which was a deliverable as far back as 2010, hinders the state's ability to protect the constitutional rights of residents in low-income settlements who suffer from severe health impacts due to industrial emissions and domestic fuel burning.
AI-generated
This summary is written by a language model reading the source document. It is not the publisher's words and is not a substitute for the original.
Document type: Statement
Promotion of Access to Information Civil Society Network 2015 Shadow Report
The 2015 Shadow Report by the Promotion of Access to Information Civil Society Network (PAIA CSN) evaluates the implementation of the Promotion of Access to Information Act 2 of 2000 (PAIA) in South Africa between 1 August 2014 and 31 July 2015. The report finds that while the right to access information is constitutionally enshrined, public bodies frequently undermine this right through non-compliance with statutory timeframes, failure to provide legitimate grounds for refusal, and poor record-keeping. The report highlights a contrast between the relatively better compliance of private bodies and the systemic failures of various state departments, while advocating for the urgent appointment of an independent Information Regulator to provide an alternative to costly litigation.
AI-generated
This summary is written by a language model reading the source document. It is not the publisher's words and is not a substitute for the original.
Document type: Report
PRESENTACION ESCRITO AMICUS CURIAE RELATIVO AL FONDO DE LA DIFERENCIA
This amicus curiae brief, submitted by the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) on behalf of members of the Mesa Nacional Frente a la Minería Metálica de El Salvador, argues that El Salvador's regulatory measures regarding the 'El Dorado' mining project are consistent with international human rights and environmental obligations. The document contends that the state must protect citizens from the risks of extractive industries, particularly in water-scarce and densely populated areas, and that public interest is defined through environmental democracy and the rights of access to information and participation.
AI-generated
This summary is written by a language model reading the source document. It is not the publisher's words and is not a substitute for the original.
Document type: Report
The latest on our work on transparency in environmental governance in South Africa
This report by the Centre for Environmental Rights (CER) analyzes trends in the disclosure of environmental information in South Africa for 2012, comparing them to 2010-11. It finds that while public bodies are more actively responding to requests under the Promotion of Access to Information Act (PAIA), actual disclosure has decreased and active refusals have increased. Private companies have shifted from ignoring requests to actively opposing disclosure, often through legal proceedings.
AI-generated
This summary is written by a language model reading the source document. It is not the publisher's words and is not a substitute for the original.
Document type: Report
annexure-ww1-a0adf528d3d0551f.pdf
This document consists of a series of letters and annexures sent between April and August 2020 by the South African Water Caucus (SAWC), represented by the Centre for Environmental Rights, to various South African government officials. The correspondence urgently requests the provision of water tanks, reliable water supply, and sanitation packs for numerous communities across South Africa that lack basic water access, highlighting the increased health risks during the COVID-19 pandemic.
AI-generated
This summary is written by a language model reading the source document. It is not the publisher's words and is not a substitute for the original.
Document type: Statement
cer-coct-amicus-intervention-aba19a49d5e48f53.pdf
This document is a legal application by the Centre for Environmental Rights (CER) to be admitted as amicus curiae in a High Court case between the City of Cape Town, the National Energy Regulator of South Africa (NERSA), and the Minister of Energy. The CER seeks to provide expert legal and technical submissions on the Constitutional obligations of the state and local government to protect the environment and promote a transition from coal-fired power to renewable energy. The application includes supporting affidavits and several annexed reports detailing the health, environmental, and economic impacts of coal-fired electricity generation in South Africa, as well as the feasibility of a low-carbon energy transition.
AI-generated
This summary is written by a language model reading the source document. It is not the publisher's words and is not a substitute for the original.
Document type: Statement
Mining and your Community: Know your Environmental Rights
This guide, produced by the Centre for Environmental Rights and Lawyers for Human Rights, provides information for communities and individuals in South Africa on their environmental and legal rights when facing proposed mining activities. It details the mandatory government permissions, consultation processes, and legal avenues available to affected parties to protect their land, water, and health.
AI-generated
This summary is written by a language model reading the source document. It is not the publisher's words and is not a substitute for the original.
Document type: Guide
PUBLIC HEARINGS OF THE PORTFOLIO COMMITTEE ON ENVIRONMENTAL AFFAIRS ON THE CLIMATE CHANGE DISCUSSION DOCUMENT, OUTLINING SOUTH AFRICA’S POSITION TOWARDS THE 21ST SESSION OF THE CONFERENCE OF THE PARTIES (COP21) TO THE UNITED NATIONS FRAMEWORK CONVENTION ON CLIMATE CHANGE (UNFCCC) IN PARIS, FRANCE, IN DECEMBER 2015.
The Centre for Environmental Rights (CER) submitted a statement to the Portfolio Committee on Environmental Affairs in September 2015 regarding South Africa's position for COP21. The CER argues that climate change mitigation is a Constitutional obligation under section 24, and that current state decisions to build new coal-fired power stations directly contradict these legal duties and national climate policies.
AI-generated
This summary is written by a language model reading the source document. It is not the publisher's words and is not a substitute for the original.
Document type: Statement
first-resp-part-6-17dfefe211f0538a.pdf
This document is a statement from the Minister of the National Department (South Africa) responding to an application regarding air quality in the Highveld Priority Area. The Minister defends the government's environmental management tools, denies a lack of cooperation between national departments, and argues that non-compliance with air quality standards does not automatically constitute a constitutional breach.
AI-generated
This summary is written by a language model reading the source document. It is not the publisher's words and is not a substitute for the original.
Document type: Statement
UNLOCK THE DOORS: HOW GREATER TRANSPARENCY BY PUBLIC AND PRIVATE BODIES CAN IMPROVE THE REALISATION OF ENVIRONMENTAL RIGHTS
This report by the Centre for Environmental Rights (CER) analyzes the accessibility of environmental information in South Africa through an assessment of 98 PAIA requests and 42 formal requests made to 17 public and 35 private bodies between July 2010 and early 2012. The findings reveal a widespread culture of avoidance, delay, and non-compliance with the Promotion of Access to Information Act, 2000 (PAIA), which the CER argues fundamentally hampers the realization of constitutional environmental rights.
AI-generated
This summary is written by a language model reading the source document. It is not the publisher's words and is not a substitute for the original.
Document type: Report
WHEN MINES BREAK ENVIRONMENTAL LAWS: HOW TO USE CRIMINAL PROSECUTION TO ENFORCE ENVIRONMENTAL RIGHTS
This guide, published by the Centre for Environmental Rights, provides instructions for individuals and communities in South Africa on how to identify environmental crimes committed by mining companies and the process for reporting these offences to the South African Police Service (SAPS) for criminal prosecution.
AI-generated
This summary is written by a language model reading the source document. It is not the publisher's words and is not a substitute for the original.
Document type: Guide
Our environment, our rights
This report by Friends of the Earth International outlines the organization's promotion of environmental rights and environmental justice, arguing that current global production and consumption models driven by neoliberal economic globalisation lead to increasing rights violations.
AI-generated
This summary is written by a language model reading the source document. It is not the publisher's words and is not a substitute for the original.
Document type: Report
A Community Action Toolkit: A Roadmap for Using Environmental Rights to Fight Pollution
The World Resources Institute's 'A Community Action Toolkit' provides practical guidance for civil society and marginalized communities to use environmental rights—specifically access to information, public participation, and justice—to combat air, water, and solid waste pollution. Developed through the STRIPE project, the toolkit uses eight modules to help users conduct policy research, collect pollution data, and build evidence-based advocacy campaigns to hold governments and private companies accountable.
AI-generated
This summary is written by a language model reading the source document. It is not the publisher's words and is not a substitute for the original.
Document type: Guide