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This document is a replying submission by Atha-Africa, submitted on 12 April 2019, responding to an administrative appeal against the approval of the Environmental Management Programme (EMP) for the Yzermyn Project. The submission disputes the findings of a September 2013 NSS Report and a subsequent 'Brownlie Review,' arguing that updated specialist studies by Delta-H and Scientific Aquatic Services demonstrate that the project's environmental impacts—specifically regarding wetlands, groundwater, and biodiversity—are localized and can be effectively mitigated.

This executive summary, submitted to Eskom's Board Sustainability and Ethics Committee on 20 May 2016, details the company's environmental performance, compliance risks, and legal liabilities for the 2015/16 financial year. It highlights failures to meet emissions and water usage targets, significant financial requirements for air quality compliance, and specific legal breaches of the National Environmental Management Act (NEMA) and the National Water Act.

This document is an executive summary and supporting materials for a February 2013 submission to the Eskom Board Sustainability Committee regarding Eskom's environmental management performance from April to December 2012. It details failures to meet emissions and water targets due to operational constraints, progress on environmental strategies, and the status of ISO 14001 certification across various business units.

This March 2013 executive summary and accompanying board minutes detail Eskom's 'Environmental Compliance and Performance Journey Map'. The document outlines a strategy to address systemic environmental non-compliance, specifically regarding air emissions, water usage, and biodiversity, while acknowledging that production pressures and resource constraints have hindered the utility's ability to meet statutory standards.

The document identifies risks to various wetland systems and seep wetlands caused by underground mining, specifically the formation of a groundwater cone of dewatering. It proposes mitigation strategies including monitoring, grouting, and the treatment of decant water post-closure.

The document outlines the Integrated Water and Waste Management Plan for the Yzermyn Underground Coal Mine (YUCM), detailing the infrastructure for sewage treatment, water purification, and the overall water balance simulation to manage process water and discharge.

The report identifies critical failures in South African water governance and provides recommendations for civil society to intervene and improve the management of water resources.

The document details a legal challenge by landowners against a coal prospecting right granted to Trollope Mining Services 2000 (Pty) Ltd. It highlights a 'fatally flawed consultation process' where landowners were contacted only days before deadlines and denied access to information. Furthermore, it argues that the Environmental Management Plan (EMP) was a generic 'desk-top study' that ignored sensitive wetlands, red data bird species, and rare plants, while the Department of Minerals and Energy failed to address these deficiencies.

The document outlines a risk-based approach to mining in South Africa's most sensitive biodiversity areas, including critically endangered ecosystems, Critical Biodiversity Areas (CBAs), Freshwater Ecosystem Priority Areas (FEPAs), and Ramsar sites. It argues that because these areas are essential for ecosystem services and biodiversity targets, mining should be strongly avoided. The guideline proposes a sequential six-step filter—including requirements for national strategic interest, lack of alternative deposits, and full economic valuation—that must be satisfied before any mining authorisation is considered. It emphasizes a risk-averse approach where authorisations may be denied or strictly limited to specific methods, such as underground mining, to avoid fatal flaws in environmental authorisations.

The document details how Freshwater Ecosystem Priority Area (FEPA) maps serve as a tool for biodiversity conservation and water resource management in South Africa. It outlines the integration of these maps into legal frameworks such as the National Water Act, Biodiversity Act, and Protected Areas Act. The text defines various map categories—including River FEPAs, Wetland/Estuary FEPAs, Fish Sanctuaries, and Fish Support Areas—and specifies the ecological conditions and management priorities associated with each to ensure the protection of threatened species and the maintenance of ecosystem health.

The document analyzes the global debate over water privatization, contrasting the view of water as an economic good promoted by international financial institutions with the view of water as a human right. It details the role of the World Bank and IMF in pushing privatization through loan conditionalities and provides case studies of both failed privatization (Cochabamba, Bolivia) and successful participatory public management (Porto Alegre, Brazil).

The Agrifood Transition Plan Assessment Framework establishes a methodology for evaluating corporate transition strategies in the agrifood sector. It categorizes companies into 'committed' (early) and 'advanced' phases based on the maturity of their transition plans. The framework emphasizes a holistic approach that integrates greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction—specifically targeting methane and nitrous oxide—with nature-based goals such as eliminating deforestation and land conversion. It provides detailed requirements for Paris-aligned targets, action plans for producers and downstream actors, and accountability metrics, while aligning with international disclosure standards like TCFD, TNFD, and ICMA.

KPMG Services Proprietary Limited conducted a pre-issuance limited assurance engagement for the City of Cape Town's proposed Green Bond. The report concludes that the nominated projects and the Green Bond Framework V2.3 conform to the 'Selection of Nominated Projects & Assets' and 'Internal Processes and Controls' sections of the Climate Bonds Standard V2.1. The bond is designed to refinance existing projects, with 92.8% of the allocation dedicated to water projects and 7.2% to low-carbon transport. A specific emphasis is placed on Project 6 (flood defences), which remains subject to post-issuance assurance as the relevant Climate Bonds Standard Water Criteria Phase 2 were still in draft at the time of the report.

Vietnam faces high vulnerability to climate change and rapidly growing emissions, projected to reach 387 Mt by 2030, primarily driven by energy supply. While the government has established the National Target Program and various energy efficiency laws, the report finds that existing and planned projects are likely to harvest only 12% of the available abatement potential between 2015 and 2030. Major barriers include low electricity and coal prices, limited technical and financial capacity among stakeholders, and institutional overlaps. The study recommends a coordinated national mitigation programme and specific sector-level interventions in REDD+, wind policy, industrial energy efficiency, and waste management.

In 2018, IDFC members reported $134 billion in green finance commitments, a 39% decrease from 2017, though cumulative commitments since 2015 exceed $670 billion. Climate finance dominated the total at 93.3%, with green energy and GHG mitigation accounting for 85% of that amount. While overall commitments fell due to macroeconomic factors, adaptation finance grew by 57% over the previous year. Geographically, 78% of finance remained in members' home countries, and the East Asia and Pacific region received the largest share of commitments at 56%.

The report identifies three primary areas of WTO negotiations that may undermine the UNCCD: agricultural market liberalization, the liberalization of environmental and water services, and the legal relationship between Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEAs) and WTO rules. It warns that export-oriented agriculture can lead to chemical-dependent farming and displacement of local communities, while the privatization of nature protection and water services may restrict indigenous access to resources. Furthermore, the document suggests that WTO dispute mechanisms might deter states from adopting the most effective anti-desertification measures if those measures are deemed trade-restrictive.

The report assesses the alignment of Kenyan legislation and regulations with international ESG standards, specifically GRI and FTSE Russell. It identifies significant gaps in environmental areas such as protected area conservation and water footprint analysis, and in social areas including data protection and specific gender-sensitive training. While Kenyan law broadly aligns with international labour and human rights conventions, the report notes discrepancies in maternity leave duration and minimum employment age. In governance, it highlights a lack of mandatory requirements for board-level ESG risk training and detailed executive compensation ratios, recommending that companies adopt international best practices to attract investment.

The study identifies a significant gap between the high demand for green financing driven by Morocco's Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) and the limited supply of dedicated instruments for SMEs. While sectors like industry and agriculture are well-served by credit lines, others such as transport, water, and construction remain underserved. The report recommends enhancing the regulatory framework, implementing a green taxonomy, and developing new instruments such as a dedicated green guarantee mechanism or an equity fund to support the transition to a green economy.

The RE-ACT project aims to protect 40,000 small and medium-sized farmers in Guyana's coastal regions (Regions 2-6) from climate-induced floods, droughts, and saltwater intrusion. The initiative focuses on two main components: the transfer of climate-resilient crop and pasture varieties and the strengthening of institutional and community-level water management. With a total indicative cost of USD 55.72 million, the project will implement Farmer Field Schools (FFS) to train farmers in adaptive management and establish a more coordinated national water governance framework, including the proposed creation of a National Water Council.

The Accreditation Panel (AP) recommends the accreditation of Applicant 015 (APL015) for 'Large' project sizes and 'High risk' (Category A/I-1) environmental and social risk categories. The applicant, a public international financial institution operating in over 90 developing countries, was assessed via a fast-track process as an EU DEVCO entity. The AP found that APL015 fully meets the Fund's basic and specialized fiduciary standards, including project management, grant award mechanisms, and on-lending/blending. It also complies with interim environmental and social safeguards (ESS) and gender policies, although it was advised to finalize its formal stakeholder complaints mechanism.