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The document details the struggle to protect spring-run Chinook salmon in Butte Creek, California, from the effects of water diversions by Pacific Gas & Energy's DeSabla-Centerville hydroelectric project. It highlights the species' vulnerability to low flows and high temperatures, the role of the Centerville Head Dam in blocking habitat access, and the legal pressure applied by Earthjustice to secure adequate water for spawning fish.

The Pangue/Ralco hydroelectric projects in Chile's Alto BíoBío caused severe disruptions to the Mapuche/Pehuenche people's semi-nomadic lifestyle and cultural ecosystem. The project sponsor, Endesa, and the Chilean government are accused of violating indigenous land rights and environmental laws, while the IFC faced criticism for failing to oversee social and environmental standards. After a decade of struggle and legal battles in Chilean courts and before the Inter-American Human Rights Commission (IACHR), a 'friendly settlement' was reached in 2003, providing reparations to affected families and commitments from the Chilean government to strengthen indigenous rights and environmental protections in the region.

The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) approved a friendly settlement on October 17, 2003, between the State of Chile and Mapuche Pehuenche families affected by the Ralco Hydroelectric Project. The dispute centered on the flooding of ancestral lands and the application of electrical laws over indigenous land laws. The final agreement includes commitments for constitutional recognition of indigenous peoples, the ratification of ILO Convention 169, the creation of a new commune in Alto Bío Bío, and specific land and financial compensations for the affected families.

The document defines 'ecological debt' as the cumulative responsibility of industrialised countries for environmental destruction caused by their production and consumption patterns. It argues that the Global North has exceeded its 'environmental space' through looting, damaging natural environments, overusing greenhouse gas sinks, dumping toxic waste, and biopiracy. To address this, the text advocates for a 'popular education' approach—rooted in the work of Paulo Freire—to build solidarity between Scottish communities facing environmental injustice and those in the Global South. The handbook includes local Scottish examples of debt repayment (such as the Jubilee Scotland and Slow Food movements) and international case studies illustrating ecological debt in banana production, hydroelectric projects in Uganda, industrial agriculture in India, mining in Canada, and oil extraction in Ecuador. It concludes with a toolbox of interactive games designed to facilitate workshops on resource consumption and global inequality.

The report examines subsidies within the Southern African Customs Union (SACU), focusing on South Africa's manufacturing, agriculture, and energy sectors. It finds that most domestic incentives are WTO-compliant, though the Duty Credit Certification Scheme for textiles is an exception. The agricultural sector has seen significant deregulation since the 1980s, resulting in low Producer Support Estimates (PSE) for most commodities. However, the region remains vulnerable to foreign subsidies, particularly the EU's Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) and the U.S. Farm Bill, which distort markets for sugar and beef. In the energy sector, South Africa's heavy reliance on coal creates high carbon intensity and a lack of incentives for renewable energy due to low coal prices.

The document argues that the State of Chile violated the fundamental rights of the Mapuche-Pehuenche communities of Ralco-Lepoy and Quepuca Ralco through the construction of the Ralco hydroelectric plant, which led to the destruction of ancestral lands, cemeteries, and ceremonial spaces. It contends that domestic legal remedies in Chile have been ineffective, illusory, or subject to unjustifiable delays, thereby satisfying the requirements for the admissibility of the petition before the IACHR. The text further argues that the project was economically inefficient and driven by the monopolistic interests of the company Endesa rather than public interest. Additionally, it details systemic discrimination against indigenous peoples in Chile's political and judicial systems, including the use of anti-terrorist and state security laws to criminalize indigenous demands.

The report evaluates three energy scenarios for San Francisco: 'Central Generation', 'More Imports', and 'Distributed Resources'. It compares these paths based on capital and operating costs, electricity supply reliability, environmental impacts, and local economic development. The analysis finds that while all scenarios can ensure reliability and allow the closure of the Hunter's Point Power Station, only the 'Distributed Resources' scenario significantly reduces CO2 emissions and promotes environmental equity. The 'Central Generation' path is identified as potentially the least expensive but carries risks related to market power and higher in-city emissions.

The document examines the restructuring of Argentina's electric power sector, which transitioned from state dominance to a privatized model of unbundled generation, transmission, and distribution. It analyzes the political economy of this shift, highlighting the influence of the World Bank and other multilateral development banks in promoting neoliberal reforms. The study finds that while the reforms improved technical efficiencies and reduced wholesale prices, they often resulted in regressive social impacts, such as the elimination of social tariffs for low-income groups and significant job losses. Environmental concerns were largely relegated to compliance with pre-existing manuals, and energy efficiency initiatives were hindered by the unbundling of the sector and low electricity prices. The report concludes that the reforms were largely irreversible due to a strong government commitment to the market model, despite emerging governance challenges and public dissatisfaction following major service failures like the 1999 EDESUR blackout.

The document analyzes Ghana's power sector reform, which was primarily triggered by World Bank conditionality for a thermal power project and a need to address power shortages caused by droughts. The Government of Ghana (GOG) opted for a competitive model involving the unbundling of the Volta River Authority (VRA) into strategic business units to attract private investment and reduce sovereign guarantee liabilities. The reform established two regulatory bodies: the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC) for tariff setting and the Energy Commission (EC) for licensing. While social goals like universal access by 2020 were integrated, the paper notes that environmental concerns were largely a 'spin-off' of other measures like Demand Side Management (DSM) and Embedded Generation Facilities (EGF).

The Union of Concerned Scientists identifies seven policy tools—Renewables Portfolio Standards, public benefits funding, net metering, fair transmission/distribution rules, fair pollution rules, consumer information, and green customer demand—to transition the US to renewable energy. It argues that deregulation risks favoring fossil fuels unless these mechanisms internalize the public benefits of renewables and remove market barriers.

The document highlights the critical role of sediment transport in maintaining the Andean-Amazonian ecosystem and proposes a differentiated monitoring methodology to mitigate the impacts of anthropogenic activities and climate change. It details how infrastructure like hydroelectric dams and dredging can disrupt sediment balance, citing specific cases in Peru and Ecuador, and advocates for integrating sediment monitoring into national public policy and climate adaptation strategies.

The study finds that climate change, characterized by rising temperatures and decreasing rainfall, will likely cause significant economic losses in the Mpanga river catchment, particularly in the energy sector. Annual costs for the energy sector are estimated between US$25 million and US$98 million by 2030-2035, while the water supply sector in the Rushango area may face annual losses of US$45,000 to US$79,000. Adaptation measures, including water resource regulation and energy diversification, are considered high priorities as they only need to offset between 2.8% and 32.8% of estimated losses to be economically justified.

The document provides legal arguments to support a lawsuit against the Panamanian National Environmental Authority (ANAM) regarding the Barro Blanco Hydroelectric Project. It contends that the project's EIA was approved without adequate consultation or the free, prior, and informed consent of the Ngäbe people, violating international human rights and environmental law. The brief highlights specific failures, including a single public forum conducted only in Spanish and the omission of critical data regarding indigenous territories adjacent to the Ngäbe-Buglé Comarca.

The document critiques the February 2023 draft proposals from the International Finance Corporation (IFC) and the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA) regarding remedial action and responsible exit. It argues that these drafts do not meet international human rights law standards, as they lack an actionable plan for remedy and fail to apply to existing projects. The briefing highlights that remedy can take various forms beyond financial compensation, such as public apologies and guarantees of non-repetition, and suggests that providing remedy actually reduces legal exposure for the institutions. It calls on the IFC/MIGA Board of Directors to require second drafts that implement the 2020 External Review recommendations and commit to financial contributions when financing has contributed to harm.

The Alto Maipo Hydroelectric Project in Chile, verified under the Kyoto Protocol's Clean Development Mechanism (CDM), is cited as a failure that violated multiple human rights and environmental standards. The project involves rerouting three tributaries of the Maipo River through tunnels in the Andes Mountains, which the document claims threatens the drinking water of 7 million people in the Santiago metropolitan area and risks reducing river flows by 60-90%. Specific violations include threats to the rights to a healthy environment, water, life, health, food, adequate housing, work, and cultural participation. The document recommends that the project be removed from the CDM list and its construction halted. It further urges COP25 negotiators to ensure that Article 6 of the Paris Agreement incorporates robust social and environmental safeguards and independent grievance mechanisms to prevent similar outcomes in future 'sustainable development' projects.

The complaint argues that the State of Chile facilitated the forced eviction of Mapuche-Pehuenche communities from their ancestral lands in the Alto Bío Bío region to allow ENDESA to build the Ralco Hydroelectric Project. The petitioners claim that the state bypassed the Indigenous Law (Ley 19.253) and environmental conditions set by CONAMA, which required voluntary land swaps (permutas) approved by CONADI. Instead, the state used the 'Electric Law' (Ley Eléctrica) to impose flood easements and monetary compensation, which the petitioners describe as a form of 'ethnocide' that destroys their cultural, spiritual, and physical existence. They further allege a denial of justice by Chilean courts, which they claim have been ineffective or biased in favor of the company.

The Alto Maipo Hydroelectric Project in Chile, funded by the IFC, IDB, and OPIC, resulted in severe environmental degradation and human rights violations, including threats to the water security of millions in Santiago. Despite these harms, the project's financiers used procedural loopholes and premature divestments to avoid accountability. However, strategic campaigns by Chilean activists and CIEL leveraged Independent Accountability Mechanisms (IAMs) to force institutional changes, resulting in the repeal of the IDB's legal exclusion clause and the creation of the IFC's Remedial Action Framework and Responsible Exit Approach.

The document catalogues alleged human rights implications across numerous international projects in sectors such as mining, energy, and forestry. It organizes these cases by the specific right implicated, including the rights to adequate food, housing, health, and life, as well as freedoms from forced labor and torture. The case studies highlight recurring issues such as forced resettlement, environmental contamination of water and land, the use of military force to suppress protests, and inadequate compensation for displaced populations.

The report warns that NAFTA and the U.S.-Canada Free Trade Agreement (FTA) treat water as a commodity, potentially preventing Canada from restricting large-scale water exports to the U.S. and Mexico. It details massive proposed projects like NAWAPA and the GRAND Canal, and identifies trends—such as the rise of water marketing and the impacts of global warming—that increase the likelihood of these transfers. The authors recommend forming a North American Water Task Force and pursuing legal frameworks that prioritize ecological and indigenous values over economic ones.

Atlantic Canada faces significant fiscal and economic risks due to its reliance on oil, gas, and coal, particularly in Newfoundland and Labrador and New Brunswick. While the region shows momentum in clean technology—led by Nova Scotia—and possesses strong natural resource advantages in wind, hydro, and tidal energy, scaling these opportunities is hindered by a lack of capital, a shortage of skilled STEM labour, and a mismatch between the location of new growth and transition-vulnerable rural communities.