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2014-05-30-fa11-s21-project-international-review-4d7ff58bb0ec9577.pdf
This report, produced for the South African Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism (DEAT), provides an international review of air emission standards to support the implementation of Section 21 of the National Environmental Management: Air Quality Act (NEM:AQA). It analyzes regulatory frameworks in the United States, United Kingdom, and Australia (specifically New South Wales), with additional references to India, Japan, Poland, and China. The document recommends a phased approach to listing industrial activities and setting minimum emission standards based on Best Available Technology (BAT), while suggesting the integration of command-and-control measures with market-based mechanisms like emissions trading.
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Document type: Report
COMBINED SUMMONS
This document is a compilation of legal summons, news articles, emails, and personal essays centered on a long-running conflict between the Amadiba community on South Africa's Wild Coast and the Australian mining company Mineral Commodities Limited (MRC). The materials detail allegations of human rights abuses, fraudulent attempts to secure mining rights for titanium deposits at Xolobeni, and the 2016 assassination of anti-mining activist Sikhosiphi 'Bazooka' Rhadebe.
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Document type: Report
confirmatory-affidavit-d-ogier-003a10b951967945.pdf
This document is a confirmatory affidavit and professional curriculum vitae submitted by David Ogier, an independent Climate, Risk, and GIS Specialist, to the High Court of South Africa Eastern Cape Division. Ogier confirms the accuracy of expert maps (FA 10 and FA 11) prepared for a legal matter involving the Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy and other respondents, including Shell Exploration and Production South Africa BV and BG International Limited.
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Document type: Statement
Exhibit 6_7[5].pdf
This document is an atlas published by the World Health Organization (WHO) that examines the impact of environmental hazards on children's health. It categorizes risks into 'traditional' hazards, such as air pollution and poor water and sanitation, and 'emerging' hazards, including chemical exposures, e-waste, and climate change. The report aligns these challenges with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and advocates for multisectoral cooperation to reduce preventable child mortality and lifelong disease risks.
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Document type: Report
letter-signed-dhom-to-centre-for-environmental-rights-re-xolobeni-issu-5b6efc7d1bf2005b.pdf
A letter from the Australian High Commission in Pretoria to the Centre for Environmental Rights regarding Mineral Commodities Ltd’s (MRC) proposed titanium mine in Xolobeni, South Africa.
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Document type: Statement
pcea-captive-lion-breeding-colloquium-report-20181108-2e58dc6e30781a36.pdf
This draft report details a two-day parliamentary colloquium held on 21 and 22 August 2018 by the Portfolio Committee on Environmental Affairs of the Republic of South Africa. The event examined the ethical, conservation, and reputational impacts of captive lion breeding (CLB) for hunting and the lion bone trade, featuring testimony from government departments, industry bodies, and conservation NGOs.
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Document type: Report
VALUING THE SOCIO-ECONOMIC CONTRIBUTION OF FISHERIES AND OTHER MARINE USES IN SOUTH AFRICA
This report assesses the socio-economic value of South Africa's commercial fisheries—which generated R8.0 billion in wholesale value in 2013—against the potential impacts of marine phosphate mining. It highlights a significant spatial overlap between proposed mining areas and hake and small-pelagic fishing grounds, warning that sediment plumes and exclusion zones could threaten the industry's sustainability and employment.
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Document type: Report
Human Rights Obligations of States in the Context of Climate Change
This briefing describes the activities of the Human Rights Committee (CCPR) regarding climate change across its three primary functions: the State reporting procedure, General Comments and Statements, and the Communications procedure. It highlights the Committee's evolving interpretation of the right to life under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) in the face of environmental degradation.
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Document type: Briefing
Climate-related human rights harm and the right to effective remedy
This submission by Amnesty International and the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) argues that climate change causes widespread human rights violations and that affected individuals and communities are entitled to effective remedies and reparations under international law. The document critiques current UNFCCC mechanisms for being voluntary and excluding compensation, while proposing human rights- and equity-based frameworks for addressing loss and damage.
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Document type: Report
ciel_brief_deep-trouble-the-risks-of-offshore-carbon-capture-and-storage_june2023-12245f6fc55d6793.pdf
This policy brief by the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) argues that offshore carbon capture and storage (CCS) is an unproven and risky strategy that delays the transition from fossil fuels. It highlights that proposed projects in areas like the Gulf of Mexico and North Sea face significant leakage risks due to legacy oil and gas wellbores and a history of poor offshore infrastructure monitoring. The document asserts that CCS often fails to meet emission reduction targets, frequently serves enhanced oil recovery, and relies on public subsidies that divert funds from renewable energy.
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Document type: Policy brief
Tackling the trade in illegal timber: a comparative study of legal frameworks
This research paper by the Center for International Environmental Law provides a comparative analysis of timber legality frameworks in five major importing markets: the United States, the European Union, Australia, Japan, and the Republic of Korea. It examines the scope, actor obligations, definitions of illegal timber, and enforcement mechanisms of these laws to identify effective legislative options for combating illegal logging and deforestation.
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Document type: Research paper
EFFECTIVENESS OF TRADE & POSITIVE MEASURES IN MULTILATERAL ENVIRONMENTAL AGREEMENTS: LESSONS FROM THE MONTREAL PROTOCOL
This report by the Center for International Environmental Law, prepared for the United Nations Environment Programme, evaluates the effectiveness of trade and positive measures within the Montreal Protocol. It analyzes how these mechanisms—ranging from import/export bans on ozone-depleting substances (ODS) to financial assistance for developing nations—have driven near-universal ratification and compliance to reduce global emissions of controlled substances.
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Document type: Report
The Legal Foundations for Fossil Fuel Phaseout: An Open Letter to the Co-Hosts and Participants of the First Conference on Transitioning Away from Fossil Fuels Santa Marta, Colombia
This open letter, published by the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL), is addressed to the participants of the First Conference on Transitioning Away from Fossil Fuels in Santa Marta, Colombia. It features a collection of statements from legal experts, academics, and policy advisors who argue that phasing out fossil fuels is a binding legal obligation under international law, rather than a matter of political discretion. The document emphasizes that current approvals for new fossil fuel projects and the continued use of subsidies violate international legal duties to prevent climate harm and protect human rights.
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Document type: Fact sheet
States’ Human Rights Obligations in the Context of Climate Change
This synthesis note, published by the Center for International Environmental Law and the Global Initiative for Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, examines how United Nations human rights treaty bodies (HRTBs) use their state reporting procedures to define the obligations of States to respect, protect, and fulfil human rights in the context of climate change. The report focuses on the work of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (CESCR), and the Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC) up to December 2017.
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Document type: Report
States’ Human Rights Obligations in the Context of Climate Change: CESCR
This report by the Center for International Environmental Law and the Global Initiative for Economic, Social and Cultural Rights examines how the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (CESCR) interprets state obligations under the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR) in relation to climate change.
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Document type: Report
IN A NUTSHELL Climate Advisory Proceedings: Why Big Polluters’ Most Dangerous Arguments to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) Fail
This briefing by the Center for International Environmental Law argues that the International Court of Justice (ICJ) should apply the full spectrum of international law—including human rights, the law of the sea, and customary law—to determine State obligations regarding climate change. It counters arguments from 'big polluters' who claim that the UN climate regime (UNFCCC and Paris Agreement) is the sole relevant legal framework and that its obligations are merely procedural. The document asserts that States have longstanding duties to prevent transboundary environmental harm and protect human rights, which necessitates a phase-out of fossil fuels and the provision of reparations for climate-related injuries.
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Document type: Briefing
invasive-296da7083d469fbc.pdf
This policy brief advocates for the creation of an international fund and a no-fault insurance fund, financed by user fees, to help countries manage invasive alien species. It emphasizes the 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development as a critical juncture for transitioning from policy development to implementation of the Convention on Biological Diversity, citing high economic costs of invasive species in Australia, Africa, and the United States as justification for action.
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Document type: Policy brief
isds_climate_action_unfccc_paris_agreement_brief-dbc3a3cd1a785a3f.pdf
This policy brief by the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) argues that Investor-State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) mechanisms act as a major legal and financial barrier to climate action. It contends that ISDS allows fossil fuel investors to sue governments for implementing climate regulations, creating a "chilling effect" that deters states from phasing out fossil fuels and aligning financial flows with the Paris Agreement.
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Document type: Policy brief
Examples of existing definitions
The document outlines various definitions of nanomaterials used by the ISO, OECD, the European Union, and agencies in the US and Canada. It notes that while many rely on a size range of 1nm to 100nm, specific criteria (such as particle distribution percentages in the EU or property-based definitions in the US and Canada) vary. The author argues that these differing definitions lead to legal uncertainty and inconsistent safety assessments across different jurisdictions and product types.
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Document type: Briefing
susdev_ip_envimpact_june1991-55b198b5236bfc7a.pdf
This research paper examines the intersection of international intellectual property (IP) rights, global trade, economic development, and environmental protection. It analyzes how IP regimes—specifically patents, copyrights, and trademarks—impact the transfer of environmentally sound technologies and the conservation of biological diversity, focusing on the tensions between industrialized nations (led by the US) and developing countries within frameworks like GATT, NAFTA, and the UN Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED).
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Document type: Research paper