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Lühiajalise kliimamõjuga õhusaasteainete mõju hindamine
The report develops a methodology using the LEAP-IBC (Integrated Benefit Calculator) tool to assess the impact of short-lived climate pollutants (SLCPs) in Estonia. Focusing on the residential and transport sectors, it compares 'Business As Usual' (BAU) and energy efficiency (EE) scenarios. Findings indicate that while BAU leads to a 4-6% increase in emissions by 2030, the EE scenario could reduce NOx, PM2.5, and black carbon emissions by 13-15%. The report emphasizes that the most significant health risks are driven by fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and black carbon, and recommends strategic urban planning and building renovations to mitigate these risks.
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Document type: Report
Food Loss and Waste: Facts and Futures
The report highlights that South Africa wastes approximately 10 million tonnes of food annually, representing a third of its total production. This waste results in significant economic losses of R61.5 billion and substantial environmental degradation, including the waste of 1.7 km3 of water and the emission of greenhouse gases from landfills. The document identifies that most waste occurs at the pre-consumer stage, particularly on farms, and calls for a coordinated effort between the public and private sectors to implement the UN Sustainable Development Goal 12.3 target of halving food waste by 2030.
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Document type: Report
Latino Communities at Risk
The report finds that millions of Latinos are exposed to toxic air pollutants and ozone smog from oil and gas facilities, leading to elevated cancer risks and childhood asthma attacks. These health threats are exacerbated by higher poverty rates and lower health insurance coverage within Latino populations. The authors argue for comprehensive EPA regulations covering both new and existing oil and gas infrastructure to reduce methane and toxic emissions.
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Document type: Report
Cattle, Cleared Forests, and Climate Change
The Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) found that none of the 13 evaluated consumer goods companies can guarantee their beef is deforestation-free. While some companies like Mars, McDonald's, and Walmart show more progress, most lack comprehensive policies, transparency, and traceability for indirect supplying ranches. The report highlights that beef production is the primary driver of tropical deforestation in South America, contributing significantly to global carbon emissions and biodiversity loss.
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Document type: Report
WRITTEN SUBMISSIONS TO THE SOUTH AFRICAN HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION FOR THE NATIONAL INVESTIGATIVE HEARING ON THE UNDERLYING SOCIO-ECONOMIC CHALLENGES IN MINING-AFFECTED COMMUNITIES IN SOUTH AFRICA
The document argues that poor environmental governance by the Department of Mineral Resources (DMR) and the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) leads to systemic violations of environmental rights in South Africa's mining sector. It highlights severe impacts on water resources, including acid mine drainage and the depletion of aquifers, and notes the destruction of strategic water source areas (SWSAs). The CER identifies critical failures in the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) process, citing insufficient timeframes for public participation and a lack of independence among practitioners. It recommends transferring environmental regulation of mines from the DMR to environmental authorities, implementing free prior and informed consent (FPIC) for communities, and establishing 'no-go' areas for mining in ecologically sensitive zones.
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Document type: Statement
APPELLANTS’ STATEMENT OF GROUNDS OF APPEAL IN TERMS OF SECTION 43(2) OF NEMA AND REGULATION 61 OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT REGULATIONS, 2010
A statement of grounds of appeal filed by eight environmental and community organisations against an environmental authorisation granted on 7 June 2016 to Atha Africa Ventures (Pty) Ltd for the Yzermyn underground coal mine near Wakkerstroom, Mpumalanga. The appellants argue that the authorisation is based on a fundamentally flawed Environmental Impact Assessment Report (EIAR) that ignores critical biodiversity risks, fails to address socio-economic impacts on vulnerable communities, and was granted by an incorrect competent authority.
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Document type: Statement
Gasping for Breath
The report estimates that oil and gas emissions will cause over 750,000 summertime asthma attacks in children under 18 across the U.S. in 2025. It identifies volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and nitrogen oxides (NOx) as the primary precursors to this ozone smog, noting that pollution travels far downwind to affect all 48 contiguous states. The analysis highlights Texas, Oklahoma, Colorado, and Pennsylvania as states with the highest number of asthma attacks. To mitigate these effects, the report recommends implementing leak detection and repair (LDAR) programs, replacing high-emitting pneumatic equipment, and using vapor recovery units on storage tanks.
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Document type: Report
Microsoft Word - GHGs reporting program comparison, United Sates regs with South Africa regs- 2016-7-6
The analysis identifies several gaps in South Africa's draft GHG reporting regulations, including a lack of accuracy calibration for monitoring instruments and ambiguous language regarding facility-level reporting. It recommends that South Africa adopt more stringent requirements similar to the US GHGRP, such as a uniform emissions threshold of 25,000 metric tons of CO2 equivalent, a shorter transitional period for regulated entities, and the explicit inclusion of fluorinated gases in the reporting text to ensure transparency and accountability.
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Document type: Statement
CLIMATE AND ENERGY POLICY SOLUTIONS FOR CHINA
The report analyzes 35 climate and energy policies for China using the Energy Policy Simulator (EPS), comparing a Reference Scenario (RS) with a Low Carbon (LC) and an Accelerated Low Carbon (ALC) scenario. It finds that carbon pricing, renewable energy standards, and enhanced building codes are among the most effective tools for reducing CO2e emissions. While the LC scenario aims to peak CO2 emissions between 2025 and 2030, the ALC scenario focuses on cost-effectiveness to peak CO2 as soon as possible, achieving a peak in 2022. The analysis highlights that regulatory policies generally drive the majority of emissions reductions, though carbon pricing has the highest overall abatement potential. The report recommends a carbon price of at least 60 RMB per ton, increased renewable energy targets beyond 30% by 2030, and the adoption of MOHURD One Star as the minimum building code standard.
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Document type: Report
Climate goals and sustainable development
The author contends that using CO2 equivalent (CO2e) as a single metric for emission pledges obscures the distinct atmospheric behaviors and impacts of different substances, potentially hindering both peak warming reduction and sustainable development. By pledging targets for substances separately, countries can address the specific harms of short-lived pollutants—such as methane's contribution to tropospheric ozone, which damages crops and human health—while pursuing long-term CO2 reductions, thereby achieving both climate and development goals.
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Document type: Statement
Grow Green – Tackling Climate Change through Plant Protein Agriculture
The author contends that animal agriculture is a major but ignored driver of climate change, responsible for at least 14.5% of global greenhouse gas emissions. The text calls for the EU's Common Agricultural Policy to shift subsidies away from meat and dairy and toward farmers diversifying into plant protein crops, such as fava beans and hemp in the UK. It highlights that reducing animal farming is essential for the UK to meet its 80% emissions reduction target by 2050 and suggests that dietary shifts toward veganism could yield carbon savings greater than removing all cars from UK roads.
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Document type: Statement
How Obama Can Prove He’s Changing Direction on Federal Coal
Earthjustice calls on the Obama administration to end the Forest Service's attempt to reopen a loophole allowing coal mining in 20,000 acres of Colorado roadless forest. The document asserts that mining 170 million tons of coal would release 130 million tons of carbon from combustion, displace 40,000 gigawatt hours of renewable power, and undermine Colorado's 2014 oil and gas rules. It highlights that the state's solar and wind industries employ over 10,000 people, significantly more than the approximately 300 jobs associated with the specific mine in question.
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Document type: Statement
The SEI Initiative on Low Emission Development Pathways (LED-P)
The SEI Initiative on Low Emission Development Pathways (LED-P) provides tools and research to help governments, particularly in developing countries, simultaneously address greenhouse gas emissions, short-lived climate pollutants (SLCPs), and air pollution. A central output is the LEAP-Integrated Benefits Calculator (LEAP-IBC), which quantifies the health, vegetation, and climate benefits of specific mitigation measures. The initiative focuses on filling data gaps, building technical capacity, and developing policy frameworks to move beyond aspirational scenarios toward credible transition pathways.
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Document type: Fact sheet
COP21 Q&A: What Is GHG Emissions Neutrality in the Context of the Paris Agreement?
The document defines GHG emissions neutrality as achieving net zero anthropogenic GHG emissions from all sectors, primarily through reductions and balancing remaining emissions with removals or negative emissions. It distinguishes this from carbon neutrality, which only addresses carbon dioxide. To limit warming to below 2 degrees C, CO2 emissions must reach net zero between 2060 and 2075, and total GHG emissions between 2080 and 2090. For a 1.5 degrees C limit, CO2 must reach net zero between 2045 and 2050, and total GHGs between 2060 and 2080. Achieving this requires a zero-carbon transformation, including increasing the low-carbon energy share in the electricity sector to over 80 percent by 2050 and phasing out unabated fossil-fuel use this century.
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Document type: Fact sheet
Using nature to pardon environmental pollution
The document examines the risks of using agricultural soil carbon sequestration as carbon offsets. It highlights technical failures in measurement, reporting, and verification (MRV), the non-permanence of biological carbon compared to fossil carbon, and social risks such as land grabbing and the marginalization of small-scale farmers. The author argues that 'Climate Smart Agriculture' often serves as greenwashing for agribusiness corporations. Instead of carbon markets, the report recommends using National Adaptation Plans (NAPs) and Nationally Appropriate Mitigation Actions (NAMAs) to prioritize food security, tenure rights, and sustainable rural livelihoods.
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Document type: Report
Buying Time: Controlling Black Carbon and Methane Emissions in the Arctic
The Arctic is warming at almost twice the global average rate, a phenomenon known as Arctic amplification. While long-term climate stability requires reducing carbon dioxide, the author argues that targeting short-lived climate pollutants (SLCPs) like black carbon (BC) and methane can provide immediate mitigation benefits. The paper specifically focuses on the shipping and oil and gas sectors, which are expected to grow as sea ice retreats. It recommends a ban on heavy fuel oil (HFO) for shipping to reduce BC and marine risks, and the creation of a best-practices dialogue via the Arctic Economic Council to limit methane releases and flaring in oil production. The author emphasizes that coordinated infrastructure planning is essential to make these cleaner practices viable in the harsh Arctic environment.
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Document type: Research paper
EU LULUCF consultation
A coalition of environmental organisations urges the European Commission to adopt 'Option 1' for the 2030 Climate and Energy Framework, which establishes a separate LULUCF pillar. They argue that including Land Use, Land Use Change and Forestry (LULUCF) in the general 'at least 40 per cent' reduction target would dilute ambition by 3-7 percentage points. The authors call for the removal of fungibility between pillars, the use of base-period accounting instead of reference levels for forest management to expose bioenergy emissions, and the maintenance of agricultural non-CO2 emissions within a strengthened Effort Sharing Decision (ESD).
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Document type: Statement
Time to Lead: With the U.S. Taking the Helm of the Arctic Council, It’s Time to Take the Lead on Reducing Methane and Black Carbon
The Clean Air Task Force asserts that as the U.S. assumes the chairmanship of the Arctic Council, it must lead by example in reducing short-lived climate pollutants. While the Council adopted the Framework on Black Carbon and Methane Emissions, the author argues that U.S. domestic regulations for Arctic offshore oil and gas, managed by the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), are severely outdated. The document calls for BOEM to align its rules with EPA standards, eliminate 'emission exemption levels', include support vessel emissions, and ban the routine venting and flaring of natural gas in the Arctic.
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Document type: Statement
Waste Not
The report identifies the U.S. oil and gas industry as the largest industrial source of methane and argues that the EPA should issue nationwide standards under the Clean Air Act to target the sector's top emitting sources. The authors propose three primary categories of intervention: regular leak detection and repair (LDAR) programs, the replacement of outdated compressors and pneumatic equipment, and the capture of gas from oil and gas wells. These measures are estimated to reduce annual methane emissions by 3.2 to 3.7 million metric tons, a reduction of 42% to 48% of the sector's total. The report emphasizes that direct methane standards would be significantly more effective than regulating volatile organic compounds (VOCs) or relying on voluntary programs. The estimated cost of these measures is low, ranging from $8 to $18 per metric ton of carbon dioxide equivalent, and would represent less than 1% of the industry's sales revenue.
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Document type: Report
Halfway There?
The report argues that the AFOLU sector, which accounts for approximately 24% of global warming pollution, offers significant potential to close the emissions gap. By analyzing eight major emitters—the United States, Indonesia, China, India, Brazil, the European Union, Mexico, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo—the authors find that median mitigation potentials for these countries could cover 76% of the 2020 emissions gap and 44% of the 2030 gap. The report emphasizes a combination of supply-side production efficiencies and demand-side consumption changes, such as reducing beef consumption and food waste, to achieve these reductions.
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Document type: Report