Search Climate Insights Directory

Attorneys General from Connecticut, Delaware, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Rhode Island, and the District of Columbia have urged US Attorney General Merrick Garland to withdraw or reverse Department of Justice (DOJ) amicus briefs filed during the previous administration. These briefs supported fossil fuel defendants in climate litigation, arguing that state-law claims were preempted by federal law or should be removed to federal court. The signers argue these positions undermine efforts to hold companies accountable for a "decades-long deception campaign" regarding climate dangers and contradict President Biden's pledge to support plaintiff-driven climate litigation.

The document argues that climate justice requires a rights-based approach to communication, ensuring that vulnerable populations—particularly Indigenous peoples and racialized communities—can share their local narratives to influence global policy. It highlights the role of community radio and citizen journalism in Australia, Colombia, Kenya, and Nepal as tools for documenting traditional ecological knowledge and building community resilience. The report also analyzes the systemic underrepresentation of women and marginalized groups in global news media via the GMMP 2020 findings and calls for a shift from 'doom and gloom' narratives toward values-based communication and 'adaptive coping' to foster collective action.

The document argues that the massive scale of Covid-19 recovery spending will determine whether the global economy locks in fossil fuel infrastructure or transitions to a zero-carbon economy. It encourages reporters to frame 'green stimulus' through the lens of the Green New Deal, climate justice, and historical comparisons to the 2008 financial crisis and the 1930s Great Depression. The guide highlights that green investments in wind, solar, and energy efficiency create more jobs per million dollars spent than conventional oil and gas, and urges local coverage of mass transit, building renovations, and the influence of utilities and regulatory bodies like the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.

The statement highlights a gap between Kenya's robust legal framework—including the Constitution and the 2016 Water Act—and the reality of water pollution caused by industrial activities. It cites specific examples of contamination from battery recycling and the salt industry, and warns against the water-related risks associated with oil and gas production, calling for stronger regulatory oversight and corporate accountability.

Twenty-two environmental and climate justice organizations, coordinated by Clean Creatives, are urging PR and advertising agencies to stop working with the fossil fuel industry. The groups argue that these agencies profit from campaigns that spread climate disinformation, greenwash the image of oil, gas, and coal companies, and block climate action, which disproportionately harms Black, Indigenous, and other communities of color.

A March 2021 poll of 640 registered voters in Washington State shows high levels of concern regarding climate change and strong support for holding oil and gas companies financially responsible for climate impacts. A majority of respondents (73%) believe oil and gas companies are not paying their fair share of climate costs, and 61% support suing these companies for damages. After receiving additional information about industry disinformation, the proportion of respondents who believe oil and gas companies should be most responsible for upgrading state infrastructure rose to 37%.

The document emphasizes that because CO2 is cumulative, delays in emission cuts lead to higher peak temperatures and greater ecological damage. It warns that overshooting the 1.5°C target and relying on underdeveloped negative emissions technologies (NETs) poses significant risks to marine ecosystems and biodiversity. The author advocates for transparent, comprehensive greenhouse gas mitigation plans and a 'green recovery' from COVID-19, noting that the economic and public health benefits of rapid decarbonization far outweigh the costs.

The Biden-Harris administration has issued a series of executive orders to reverse Trump-era environmental rollbacks, focusing on rejoining the Paris Agreement, canceling the Keystone XL pipeline, and reviewing methane and fuel economy standards. The administration is also reviewing chemical safety regulations, water protections, and wilderness conservation, including a moratorium on drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. These actions are intended to restore science-based policy and environmental justice across federal agencies including the EPA, Department of Energy, and Department of the Interior.

The report argues that the oil and gas industry is in an inevitable decline, leaving behind millions of unplugged wells that pose severe risks to public health and the environment. It highlights how inadequate bonding requirements and bankruptcy laws in the US and Canada enable companies to offload decommissioning costs onto taxpayers. The document warns that unconventional drilling, such as fracking and deepwater projects, is significantly more expensive to close than conventional wells, creating material financial risks for investors and governments. It concludes that a just transition requires strict enforcement of the 'polluter pays' principle and the closure of legal loopholes to ensure companies, rather than the public, fund the remediation of toxic assets.

The report examines the role of the advertising and PR industry in supporting fossil fuel companies, arguing that these agencies facilitate greenwashing and disinformation. It highlights a growing movement of professionals rejecting such work and documents the contradiction between the sustainability pledges of major agency holding companies and their continued representation of high-polluting clients. The document provides a list of 90 agencies working for the fossil fuel industry and presents case studies of misleading campaigns in Australia, the United States, and Europe.

The report 'POLLUTED PR' details how advertising and PR firms work covertly for the fossil fuel industry to block climate action. It highlights a significant spending gap, noting that the fossil fuel industry spent at least $1 billion on PR and advertising between 2014 and 2018, outspending clean energy trade groups by over 400:1. The document provides case studies of firms like Edelman, Porter Novelli, and FTI Consulting, illustrating tactics such as 'astroturfing' and the promotion of 'false solutions' like algae biofuels to maintain the industry's social license. It concludes by calling for professionals in the creative industry to divest from fossil fuel contracts.

The Center for Climate Integrity calls on President-elect Joe Biden to fulfill campaign promises by appointing a Department of Justice leadership committed to climate accountability and establishing a new DOJ division to support plaintiff-driven litigation against fossil fuel companies.

The methodology note describes a comprehensive framework for scoring G20 countries on their support for fossil fuels, covering direct budget transfers, tax expenditures, price support, public finance, and state-owned enterprise (SOE) investment. It details seven indicators—transparency, pledges, and the scale of support for coal, oil and gas, power, and end-use, plus overall progress—to assess whether governments are meeting climate commitments. The framework specifically includes an analysis of public money commitments made in response to the COVID-19 crisis up to August 12, 2020.

G20 governments provided an annual average of $584 billion in support for fossil fuels from 2017 to 2019, with oil and gas production receiving the largest share. While overall support dropped by 9% compared to 2014–2016, this decline was inconsistent across countries and partly driven by lower oil prices. The report finds that state-owned enterprise (SOE) investment is the only support mechanism that increased overall, and that COVID-19 recovery packages have introduced at least $170 billion in new commitments to fossil fuel-intensive sectors, threatening to undo previous progress.

Reclaim Finance highlights a lack of transparency in the IEA's internal procedures, specifically regarding the loaning of staff from energy companies, the role of private actors in peer reviews, and the opacity of voluntary budget contributions. Research indicates significant ties between the IEA and the fossil fuel sector, particularly in the production of the World Energy Outlook 2019.

Governor Greg Abbott wrote to President Donald Trump opposing the Nuclear Regulatory Commission's (NRC) evaluation of 40-year licenses for consolidated interim storage of spent nuclear fuel and high-level waste at proposed sites in west Texas (Interim Storage Partners) and southeastern New Mexico (Holtec International). Abbott argues that siting these facilities in the Permian Basin Region—the world's largest producing oilfield—would compromise regional safety and risk the U.S. economy and energy security. He notes that the Permian Basin produced over 30 percent of total U.S. crude oil in 2018 and exceeded 1.5 billion barrels of oil in 2019. Additionally, he highlights the lack of a permanent storage solution since the 1982 Nuclear Waste Policy Act and opposes the placement of highly radioactive waste in states without state consent.

The Union of Concerned Scientists and UCI Law propose a framework to safeguard federal science from political, ideological, and financial influences. The roadmap focuses on reforming political appointments, strengthening the peer-review process, ensuring the balance of federal advisory committees, and preserving the independence of Offices of Inspector General.

The report analyzes the gap between Canada's GDP and GHG emissions, noting that while national decoupling has occurred, significant regional disparities exist. It highlights that Canada's economy remains more carbon-intensive than other developed nations and suggests three primary pathways for achieving low-carbon growth: reducing emissions intensity, reallocating resources, and accelerating the growth of low-carbon firms.

The text advocates for a 'green' economic recovery following the Covid-19 pandemic, suggesting that investments in renewable energy and sustainable transport create more jobs than the oil and gas sector. It highlights specific examples of sustainable shifts in Amsterdam, Bogota, and the UK, and calls for government investment in public transport and green energy over fossil fuel subsidies.

The policy brief contends that the COVID-19 pandemic accelerated existing vulnerabilities in the U.S. fossil fuel industry, making a fair transition for workers urgent. It advises against using federal stimulus for fossil fuel assets, suggesting instead that investments be directed toward low-carbon infrastructure, which creates more jobs per million dollars spent. The author proposes a four-part framework for a fair transition: accounting for automation and digitization, planning proactively across all carbon-intensive industries, recognizing that clean energy jobs may not be a direct replacement for all fossil fuel roles due to geographic and skill gaps, and employing bottom-up, community-led investment strategies.