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The report finds that while most US states meet the minimum legal requirements for Title V air permitting notices, there are substantial gaps in transparency, accessibility, and the actual influence of public input on final decisions. It highlights that many public notices are written at a college reading level and lack plain language, and that few agencies transparently report how public comments shape permit outcomes. The analysis suggests that states with specific environmental justice or cumulative impacts laws tend to have better engagement practices. It recommends that agencies adopt plain language, provide multilingual resources, and establish clear mechanisms for reporting how community input affects regulatory decisions.

Motuoane Energy (Pty) Ltd is seeking to convert its existing Exploration Right (ER315) into a Production Right to extract helium and methane gas in the Free State. The proposed project includes drilling approximately 43 production wells, installing gas collection pipelines, and building a helium recovery and gas processing plant (CNG and/or LNG). Environmental Impact Management Services (Pty) Ltd (EIMS) is conducting the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), currently in the scoping phase. Affected communities, including Virginia/Meloding, Theunissen/Makeleketla, and Ventersburg/Mmamahabane, are invited to register as Interested and Affected Parties (I&APs) and submit comments by February 23, 2026.

The Centre for Environmental Rights (CER), on behalf of several partner organisations, submitted a formal comment to the South African Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE) regarding the proposed "Flexible Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) system." The CER argues that the shift from a rules-based system to one based on administrative discretion risks violating constitutional rights to a healthy environment and just administrative action, potentially weakening environmental protections and public participation.

The Public Affairs Research Institute (PARI) critiques the Draft Revised White Paper for Local Government, arguing that it relies too heavily on technical and managerial solutions for fundamentally political problems. PARI suggests that the proposed shift to a single-tier municipal system is politically unfeasible and warns that removing functions from weaker municipalities could undermine democratic accountability. The submission advocates for a stronger focus on the affordability of basic services, noting that 40% of households cannot afford them, and calls for a revitalisation of democratic social mobilisation to drive genuine reform. It also recommends formalising the role of traditional leadership through democratically responsive compacts and improving municipal communication to rebuild public trust.

The report explores how municipalities can move beyond traditional governance to reduce consumption-based emissions through collaborative, place-based citizen engagement. It introduces a conceptual framework for strategic participation and details a three-stage workshop methodology—exploring sufficiency, visioning sustainable futures, and backcasting—implemented in Malmö. The authors argue that focusing on everyday wellbeing and sufficiency, rather than abstract targets, fosters more inclusive and transformative climate action.

The study evaluates a structured co-creation process across four European cities to develop soft climate adaptation measures. It identifies four recurring measure typologies and highlights that effective engagement depends on continuity, tailored formats, and accessible facilitation, while noting constraints in resources and representation.

The document outlines the legal right of communities to participate in environmental decision-making for onshore oil and gas projects. It details the two primary phases of the EIA process—Scoping and the Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA)—and provides a structured set of questions to help citizens identify impacts on health, water, livelihoods, and climate change when submitting formal comments.

The document identifies systemic communication failures across 12 South African municipalities, characterized by top-down messaging, internal silos, and a decline in traditional outreach. It recommends professionalizing communication units, institutionalizing two-way engagement, and integrating knowledge management to move from reactive to citizen-centered systems.

The document identifies structural and operational failures in South Africa's Integrated Development Planning (IDP) process, noting that community participation is often treated as a 'tick-box' exercise. Based on action research across 12 municipalities, it highlights issues such as poor meeting organization, declining youth attendance, and a lack of transparency. The brief recommends reframing the IDP as a developmental tool, improving institutional coordination, and implementing a Community Participation Index to move toward a more people-centered, bottom-up planning approach.

The document identifies systemic failures in South Africa's ward committee system, including poor resourcing, political interference, and a lack of institutional memory. It argues that while trust in these structures has declined, they remain essential for participatory democracy if transformed through better training, standardized reporting, and improved financial support.

The document details the COMPACT Local Government Collaboration Model, which uses a five-step process—Purpose, Making Sense of the Challenge, Vision and Hope, Implementing and Adapting, and Reflection and Learning—to improve municipal governance. The model was piloted in 2025 in the Blue Crane Route and Newcastle local municipalities to address water crises and local economic development, respectively. Key findings emphasize the necessity of immersive problem-understanding, constructive problem framing, and strong local political buy-in for sustainable collaboration.

A coalition of health and environmental organizations urges the Canadian Minister of Health to retract a proposal to eliminate cyclical pesticide re-evaluations, arguing it would undermine the post-market risk assessment framework and contradict existing regulatory policies.

The report details the Inter-American Court of Human Rights' (IACtHR) Advisory Opinion 32/25, which recognizes the right to a healthy climate as an autonomous and justiciable right. It establishes that States have binding obligations to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions, adapt to climate impacts, and provide integral reparations. The Court introduces a high standard of 'enhanced due diligence' for climate action and recognizes Nature as a subject of rights. It also outlines specific protections for vulnerable groups, including Indigenous Peoples, LGBTIQ+ persons, persons with disabilities, and future generations, while emphasizing the necessity of environmental democracy through access to information, public participation, and the protection of environmental defenders.

The document provides a comprehensive analysis of the IACtHR's Advisory Opinion OC-32/25, which recognizes the right to a healthy climate as an autonomous and justiciable right. It details the court's findings on the obligations of states to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions, adapt to climate impacts, and cooperate internationally. The report emphasizes the recognition of Nature as a subject of rights and the establishment of a reinforced due diligence standard for preventing climate damage. It also explores the specific protections required for vulnerable groups, including indigenous peoples, LGBTIQ+ individuals, persons with disabilities, and future generations, while outlining the necessity of comprehensive climate reparations and environmental democracy.

The document argues that the climate emergency requires broad public participation in daily life and positions the upcoming 2025 public participation strategy from the Department for Security, Energy and Net Zero (DESNZ) as a critical mechanism to harness existing projects and networks. It aims to guide DESNZ in integrating established work and insights to ensure people are central to achieving a sustainable and fair future.

ClientEarth argues that CSOs in the EU, particularly those focused on environment and climate, face a deteriorating environment characterized by shrinking civic space, legal harassment (SLAPPs), and financial insecurity. The document criticizes the European Commission for restricting public access to documents and prioritizing corporate interests in 'strategic dialogues' over civil society. It calls for a binding framework for civil dialogue, systemic consultation at all legislative stages, and increased funding for protection mechanisms like the Aarhus Rapid Response Mechanism. Specific national examples of repression are cited in Poland, France, Italy, Germany, and Hungary, while Finland and Denmark are noted for positive engagement models.

The document outlines the legal right of affected parties in South Africa to participate in the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) process for oil and gas exploration and production. It details the stages of the EIA process—including scoping and impact assessment—and provides a set of guiding questions and a suggested structure to help community members articulate the project's potential effects on their livelihoods, health, culture, and the environment.

The document provides a guide for South African communities to exercise their legal right to comment on Environmental Impact Assessments (EIA) and Environmental and Social Impact Assessments (ESIA) for oil and gas projects. It outlines the two-phase process—scoping and impact assessment—and provides a framework of questions to help citizens identify potential impacts on livelihoods, health, biodiversity, cultural practices, and climate change. The guide includes a suggested structure for submitting formal comments to decision-makers in local or national government.

The Union of Concerned Scientists reports that the Trump administration launched 402 attacks on science between January and June 2025, exceeding the total from his first term. These actions include the layoff of over 120,000 federal employees, the dismantling of science-focused federal advisory committees, and the censorship of environment and climate webpages. The report highlights the suspension of NIH grant reviews and the bypassing of public comment processes to benefit the fossil fuel industry, which disproportionately impacts marginalized communities. The document recommends that Congress pass the Scientific Integrity Act and the EXPERTS Act to protect evidence-based policymaking.

The document examines the gap between legal frameworks and the actual implementation of environmental procedural rights in Southeast Asia. It identifies challenges such as ambiguous disclosure requirements, lack of enforcement in public participation during Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs), and barriers to judicial remedies. The brief highlights community-driven alternatives like counter-EIAs and the role of legal networks in strengthening the judiciary to protect vulnerable groups and environmental defenders.