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The Climate Change Response (Zero Carbon) Amendment Act 2019 establishes a framework for Aotearoa (New Zealand) to reach net zero greenhouse gas emissions (excluding biogenic methane) by 2050. The law introduces five-year emissions budgets, an independent Climate Change Commission to provide expert advice and monitoring, and a requirement for the government to produce public action plans and national climate risk assessments every six years. Notably, the Act differentiates between long-lived and short-lived pollutants by setting a separate target for biogenic methane: a 10% reduction from 2017 levels by 2030 and a 24% to 47% reduction by 2050. The legislation also mandates the inclusion of Māori and iwi through consultations, the integration of traditional knowledge, and the recognition of the Treaty of Waitangi in climate planning.

The document examines the 2019 Climate Change Response (Zero Carbon) Amendment Act of Aotearoa New Zealand, highlighting its accountability framework, the role of the Climate Change Commission, and its specific approach to biogenic methane and Indigenous engagement.

The statement condemns the Ministry of Agriculture's dismissal of Luis Alberto Gonzales-Zúñiga, the Executive Director of SERFOR, citing a lack of transparency and a breach of established procedures. The signatories argue that the removal occurred as SERFOR was improving timber traceability, which threatened stakeholders benefiting from illegal timber trade. They highlight that approximately 60% of Peruvian timber is of illegal origin and warn that this institutional crisis jeopardizes international agreements, including the Norway-Germany-Peru Agreement and the US-Peru Free Trade Agreement.

Natural Justice expresses solidarity with protesters in the United States and South Africa, arguing that environmental justice is inseparable from racial, economic, and social justice. The organisation condemns police brutality and the oppression of indigenous people and activists globally, asserting that the planetary crisis and climate change disproportionately affect the poor and vulnerable.

The report analyzes climate accountability frameworks—systems that break long-term greenhouse gas targets into interim milestones—using case studies from jurisdictions like the UK, Aotearoa/New Zealand, British Columbia, and Manitoba. It identifies six common elements and associated best practices, such as legislating targets, ensuring independent expert advice, and using cumulative carbon budgets. For Canada, the authors recommend a national framework with legally binding milestones set only at the national level to avoid regional burden-sharing conflicts, while encouraging subnational governments to implement their own complementary frameworks. The report emphasizes a collaborative approach where the federal government provides policy backstops and financial incentives to ensure a resilient, multi-jurisdictional response to climate change.

The guide outlines 20 essential components of a comprehensive legal framework for ESIA in the mining sector, covering the entire mine life cycle from exploration to post-closure. It emphasizes the importance of integrating social impacts alongside environmental ones, ensuring meaningful stakeholder engagement, and establishing robust financial assurances for mine closure. The document provides a phased roadmap for government action, practical tools for gap analysis and legal reform, and case studies on investor-state disputes to illustrate the risks of inadequate ESIA processes.

This guide provides a comprehensive framework for governments to implement and improve legal requirements for Environmental and Social Impact Assessments (ESIA) in the large-scale mining sector. It details 20 key components of an integral legal framework, covering the entire mine life cycle from exploration to post-closure. The document emphasizes the importance of public participation, financial guarantees for mine closure, and the avoidance of legal stabilization clauses for environmental and social provisions to ensure sustainable development and reduce the risk of international investment disputes.

The document outlines a comprehensive approach to mining governance, emphasizing the necessity of a robust legal framework for Environmental and Social Impact Assessments (ESIA) and Environmental and Social Management Plans (ESMP). It details the responsibilities of governments across five mining phases: prospecting, exploration, planning, construction/operation, and closure/post-mining transition. Key recommendations include ensuring legal consistency, mandating public participation and transparency, requiring financial guarantees for site restoration, and implementing strategic environmental assessments. The guide also provides practical tools for gap analysis and legal reform, while highlighting critical issues such as gender equality, indigenous rights, and the prevention of international investment disputes through clear, non-arbitrary regulatory processes.

The brief supports the vacatur of the easement for the Dakota Access Pipeline, asserting that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers committed a serious violation of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) by failing to prepare a required Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). The authors argue that the risk of irreparable environmental harm from oil spills outweighs any economic disruption, especially given a global oil supply glut and the existing negative impacts of Bakken shale oil production on public health and Indigenous communities.

The document argues that COVID-19 lockdowns have provided a cover for governments and private entities to suppress environmental and land defenders through harassment, arrests, and the enactment of restrictive laws. It highlights specific instances of repression in the DRC, Uganda, and South Africa, noting that the suspension of normal administrative and judicial functions has limited access to justice and transparency. To counter these threats, the guide recommends that defenders shift toward online engagement, creative protest methods, and encrypted communication, while leveraging regional movements and emergency funds like the African Environmental Defenders’ Fund.

The report alleges that Maxland (PNG) Limited is using a rubber plantation project on Manus Island, Papua New Guinea, as a cover for illegal logging. Global Witness claims the company has bypassed provincial approvals, ignored landowner consent, and failed to plant the promised rubber trees while exporting millions of dollars in timber to China and Japan. The investigation links the operation to the Joinland Group and identifies several international financial institutions in Malaysia, Singapore, Norway, and the US that provide funding or investment to the entities involved.

Friends of the Earth International condemns the February 24, 2020, murder of Jehry Rivera Rivera, a Naso Bröran leader in Costa Rica who opposed land usurpation and the Diquís Hydroelectric Project. The organization highlights a pattern of violence, including the 2019 murder of Sergio Rojas Ortiz, and criticizes the Costa Rican government for failing to implement Inter-American Commission on Human Rights precautionary measures designed to protect the Térraba and Salitre territories.

The document condemns the February 24, 2020, murder of Jehry Rivera Rivera, a Naso Bröran leader in Costa Rica who opposed land usurpation and extractive projects like the El Diquis hydroelectric dam. It highlights a pattern of violence, including the 2019 murder of Sergio Rojas Ortiz, and criticizes the Costa Rican government for failing to respond to alerts about armed intrusions or implement Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) precautionary measures for the Térraba and Salitre territories.

The document identifies three typologies of rights-based claims in the extractive sector of South and Southeast Asia: environmental justice, Indigenous rights and land claims, and the right to conduct artisanal and small-scale mining. It highlights that while international law provides a framework for these rights, local actors face significant institutional, financial, and informational barriers. The brief recommends strengthening the rule of law, formalizing artisanal mining, and incorporating free, prior and informed consent (FPIC) into domestic legal frameworks.

The report finds that low-carbon energy transitions do not automatically improve social equity and can replicate existing structural inequalities if power asymmetries are not addressed. While some technologies like household solar provide benefits, others—particularly large-scale hydropower and biofuel plantations—often lead to land loss, displacement, and precarious employment. The authors argue that institutional frameworks and participatory processes, rather than the technology itself, determine whether a transition is just.

The paper identifies three main categories of rights-based claims: environmental justice, Indigenous rights and land claims, and artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) rights. It finds that claimants often use multi-scalar strategies, combining domestic litigation with mass protests and international advocacy. While some claims lead to the suspension of extractive activities or improved corporate engagement, others are met with state oppression or violence. The study highlights the critical role of civil society organizations (CSOs) as enablers and the importance of framing strategies to maximize available resources.

An activist describes their arrest during a protest at the Supreme Court to oppose the Atlantic Coast Pipeline (ACP). The author argues that the pipeline would disproportionately harm African American, Indigenous, and low-income communities, generate 67 million metric tons of global warming pollution annually, and lock the region into 30 years of fracked gas use.

Friends of the Earth International assesses the draft post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework, acknowledging some progress in governance but condemning the lack of corporate accountability, the absence of indigenous rights, and the promotion of 'false solutions' like biodiversity offsetting. The organization calls for a systemic shift that addresses the root causes of biodiversity loss and ensures equity between the Global North and South.

The document outlines the dangers of hydraulic fracturing, noting that in 2018, more than two thirds of Canada's natural gas was "fracked gas," primarily from Northeastern BC. It details health risks including increased incidences of preterm birth, miscarriage, and childhood leukemia (ALL), as well as environmental threats such as water contamination and induced earthquakes. The text highlights that methane leaks from fracking are 86 times more harmful to the climate than CO2 over 20 years, undermining the concept of natural gas as a "bridge fuel." It concludes by urging Canada to implement a moratorium on new wells and develop just transition plans for workers.

The report argues that unconventional oil and gas (UOG) development, specifically hydraulic fracturing, poses significant risks to human health, water and air quality, and climate stability. It highlights strong evidence linking UOG to adverse birth outcomes and asthma, while noting that methane leakage undermines the role of natural gas as a 'bridge fuel'. The document calls for a rapid transition to renewable energy and recommends that Canadian provinces and territories implement moratoria on new fracking development.