Search Climate Insights Directory

This report examines the state of global forest governance, highlighting the critical link between strong legal frameworks and the ability to curb deforestation. It evaluates progress across protected areas, national policy reforms, industrial logging practices in developed nations, trade regulations, and the legal recognition of Indigenous Peoples' and local communities' land rights.

This executive summary evaluates global progress toward the 2030 goals of ending and reversing deforestation and forest degradation. It reports that global gross deforestation in 2022 exceeded the necessary trajectory for 2030 targets, highlighting a critical gap between ambitious commitments and actual financial and political action.

This executive summary evaluates global progress toward the 2030 goals of stopping and reversing deforestation and degradation. It highlights a critical gap between current financial investments and the scale of the crisis, noting that while some countries and companies show leadership, global trends remain alarming, with significant losses in primary tropical forests and a lack of transparency in restoration and corporate reporting.

The 2023 Forest Declaration Assessment provides recommendations for governments, companies, and financial institutions to shift the global forest trajectory toward the 2030 forest goals. It emphasizes the need for a radical transformation of economic models, increased data transparency, the redirection of finance from harmful to protective activities, and the adoption of rights-based governance that prioritizes Indigenous Peoples and local communities.

This research paper examines the impacts of the Kaunisvaara mine on the Muonio reindeer herding district, detailing how the operation has led to significant land loss, economic decline, and psychological stress for the Sámi community, while highlighting the failure of the Swedish legal system to protect indigenous rights.

This research paper examines the long-term impacts of the Boliden mine (operated 1976–1988) and its associated road on the Vilhelmina Södra reindeer herding district at Stihken. The study highlights a significant gap between state-predicted disturbance zones and the actual experiences of the herders, noting extensive land loss, disrupted migration routes, and ongoing disturbances from tourism. It argues that the state's failure to protect Sámi rights and the persistence of colonial exploitation patterns continue to affect the community, particularly regarding the potential for new mining projects in the area.

This case study describes the installation of an off-grid solar micro-system in the T’boli-Manobo indigenous community of Datal Bonglangon, located in the province of South Cotabato, Philippines. Supported by the Legal Rights and Natural Resources Center (LRC) and Friends of the Earth International, the project aims to achieve energy sovereignty for a community that previously lacked electricity and faced conflicts with industrial plantations and military violence.

This briefing describes an 'extreme citizen science' approach to digital mapping in Ethiopia's Lower Omo region. The project utilized the Sapelli platform to enable indigenous collaborators, regardless of their literacy levels, to co-design and produce maps of local land use and resources to challenge authoritative or machine-generated representations of their territory.

Friends of the Earth International issued a statement condemning the June 2022 assassinations of Brazilian indigenist activist Bruno Araújo Pereira and British journalist Dom Phillips in the Vale do Javari region of Brazil's Amazonas state.

Friends of the Earth International issued a statement condemning the murders of indigenous activist Bruno Araújo Pereira and British journalist Dom Phillips in the Vale do Javari region of Brazil, calling for international pressure on the Brazilian government to investigate the crimes and protect indigenous territories.

This report by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) analyzes the necessity and design of federal just transition legislation in Canada. It evaluates international best practices from 12 jurisdictions to provide a framework for protecting workers and communities during the shift to a low-carbon economy, emphasizing social dialogue, Indigenous partnership, and corporate accountability.

This briefing by the Center for International Environmental Law and the Global Initiative for Economic, Social and Cultural Rights reviews the activities of the UN Human Rights Committee (CCPR) regarding climate change during 2020 and 2021. It details the Committee's increasing focus on climate-related recommendations, its inquiries into fossil fuel extraction and public participation, and the implications of specific individual communications on state obligations under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR).

Friends of the Earth International criticizes the COP26 pledge to halt deforestation as a rebranding of flawed initiatives that allow corporations and polluting nations to offset emissions rather than reduce them, warning that it risks facilitating land grabbing and human rights violations.

Friends of the Earth International criticizes the COP26 commitment to end deforestation, characterizing it as a superficial effort that allows major polluters to continue emitting carbon through carbon offsets and market-based mechanisms rather than implementing regulatory action and protecting indigenous rights.

Friends of the Earth International criticizes the COP26 pledge to end deforestation, arguing it serves as a facade for continued fossil fuel use and carbon emissions through offsetting mechanisms. The organization warns that the pledge lacks regulatory teeth and risks repeating the failures of REDD+, potentially leading to land grabbing and human rights violations.

This October 2021 report evaluates progress toward Goal 7 of the New York Declaration on Forests (NYDF), focusing on national climate actions for forests. While it acknowledges that the Paris Agreement confirmed the role of forests in the international climate agenda, the report concludes that current efforts are insufficient to end forest loss and associated greenhouse gas emissions by 2030. It provides a comprehensive set of recommendations for governments to improve forest climate mitigation through six key strategies: strengthening land-use governance, securing Indigenous peoples and local communities' rights, aligning financial incentives, promoting multi-stakeholder collaboration, ensuring robust monitoring, and expanding demand-side measures for forest-risk commodities.

A statement from the Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment (CAPE) reflecting on systemic racism, Islamophobia, and colonialism in Canada, specifically in the contexts of environmentalism and medicine.

This policy brief by the International Institute for Sustainable Development examines the governance challenges associated with the over-exploitation of natural resources. It argues that current resource use is unsustainable and unevenly distributed, calling for transformative change through inclusive decision-making, the protection of human rights for marginalized groups, and a shift toward circular economies.

This case study examines Mexico's efforts to integrate energy justice into its renewable energy expansion. While the country has rapidly increased solar and wind capacity and implemented new social impact assessment (SIA) and consultation laws between 2013 and 2018, significant implementation gaps remain. Social conflicts, often stemming from inadequate consultation with Indigenous and local communities, have delayed numerous energy projects and highlighted tensions between ambitious climate targets and the protection of community rights.

This report by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) examines how Canadian civil society groups—including labour, environmental, Indigenous, and social organizations—can align their efforts to achieve a just transition to a low-carbon economy. Based on surveys and interviews with 48 organizations, the study identifies core tenets of a just transition, analyzes political and technical barriers, and proposes specific actions for both the Canadian government and civil society to ensure the transition is equitable and inclusive.