Search Climate Insights Directory
2,088 results
Suez tackles emissions through waste and water action
Suez has committed to reducing absolute Scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas emissions by 30% by 2030 from a 2014 baseline, a target approved by the Science Based Target initiative. The company focuses on transitioning customers to a "use-and-recover approach" through circular economy practices, such as diverting waste from landfills to reduce methane and converting wastewater treatment plants into carbon-neutral "bio-factories." To manage financial risk and guide technology choices, Suez employs an internal carbon price based on the EU ETS and IEA scenarios. By 2017, the company reported a 5.69% reduction in Scope 1 and 2 emissions since 2014 and supported nearly 200,000 jobs worldwide through its activities and supply chain.
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Document type: Case study
COMMENTS ON THE FINAL ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT REPORT AND WASTE MANAGEMENT LICENCE VARIATION APPLICATION FOR THE PROPOSED RETROFITTING OF A FLUE GAS DESULPHURISATION SYSTEM AT MEDUPI POWER STATION, LEPHALALE, LIMPOPO PROVINCE
The Centre for Environmental Rights (CER), acting for groundwork, Earthlife Africa, and Concerned Citizens of Lephalale, submitted comments on 15 June 2018 objecting to the Final Environmental Impact Report (FEIR) and Waste Management Licence (WML) Variation Application for the Flue Gas Desulphurisation (FGD) Retrofit Project at Medupi Power Station. The CER argues that the FEIR is deficient due to missing data, a 'piecemeal' approach to environmental authorisations, and a failure to adequately assess water and waste impacts.
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Document type: Statement
Filling gaps in the policy package to decarbonise production and use of materials
The production of basic materials, including cement, iron, steel, aluminium, and chemicals, accounted for approximately 25% of global CO2 emissions in 2014. The author contends that deep decarbonisation has been limited by a lack of knowledge regarding climate-friendly alternatives and a policy focus on carbon leakage risks. To overcome this, the brief identifies three primary policy gaps: incomplete incentives for recycling, a lack of short- and long-term markets for climate-friendly options, and missing signals regarding the phase-out of carbon-intensive production. Proposed solutions include green public procurement, project-based carbon contracts for difference (CfD), and a consumption charge on basic materials integrated into the EU ETS. The document emphasizes that the European materials sector is in a 'precarious limbo' where investment decisions over the next 10 to 15 years will determine whether assets are closed or transitioned to climate-friendly options.
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Document type: Policy brief
Filling gaps in the policy package to decarbonise production and use of materials
The report identifies that the production of basic materials accounted for approximately 25% of global CO2 emissions in 2014, yet progress in decarbonisation has been modest due to carbon leakage concerns and limited political support for resource efficiency. It proposes a portfolio of seven mitigation options, ranging from sharing and reuse to low-carbon production processes. To unlock these, the authors identify three primary policy gaps: incomplete incentives for recycling, a lack of markets for climate-friendly options, and missing signals for phasing out carbon-intensive production. Recommended solutions include project-based carbon contracts for difference (CfDs), Green Public Procurement (GPP), and the introduction of consumption charges on carbon-intensive materials to reinstate carbon price signals muted by free allowance allocations in the EU ETS.
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Document type: Report
Connecting Extreme Weather to Climate Change
The document outlines the development of 'climate attribution' science, which allows researchers to quantify the role of human-caused climate change in extreme weather. It identifies that evidence is strongest for heat waves, coastal flooding, and extreme precipitation, while remaining less conclusive for tornadoes and thunderstorms. The text provides specific examples of US events, such as Hurricane Harvey and the February 2017 heat wave, where climate change significantly increased likelihood or intensity.
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Document type: Fact sheet
Recasting work in an era of insecurity
The text examines the transition from the Keynesian-Fordist model of steady employment to a precarious landscape defined by 'Uberisation', digital platforms, and automation. It highlights the inadequacy of current labour laws based on employer-employee subordination and proposes a shift toward recognizing 'economic dependence' to protect hybrid workers. The author advocates for a new social model for a post-employment world, including basic income and reduced working time, to ensure social welfare is no longer solely dependent on waged labour.
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Document type: Report
Unravelling past impacts of climate change and land management on historic peatland development using proxy-based reconstruction, monitoring data and process modelling
The study compares TA-based reconstructions of water-table depth (WTD) against instrumentally monitored data and MILLENNIA model predictions. While monitored and modelled WTD showed strong agreement, TA reconstructions were consistently deeper. The research suggests that discrepancies between TA predictions and model outputs, particularly between 1830 and 1930, may be explained by grouse moor management and drainage, which lead to predicted carbon losses and reduced methane emissions.
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Document type: Research paper
Letter to Commissioners on Supersonic Aircraft
Carbon Market Watch warns that the development of new supersonic business jets by aviation entrepreneurs and NASA requires new environmental certification for noise and CO2 emissions. The letter argues that these aircraft must meet existing and future subsonic standards to prevent environmental deterioration and uphold the Paris Agreement.
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Document type: Statement
COMMENTS ON THE DRAFT ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT REPORT AND WASTE MANAGEMENT LICENCE VARIATION APPLICATION FOR THE PROPOSED RETROFITTING OF A FLUE GAS DESULPHURISATION SYSTEM AT MEDUPI POWER STATION, LEPHALALE, LIMPOPO PROVINCE
The Centre for Environmental Rights (CER), acting for groundWork and Earthlife Africa, submitted comments on April 19, 2018, regarding the Draft Environmental Impact Report (DEIR) and Waste Management Licence (WML) Variation Application for the Flue Gas Desulphurisation (FGD) Retrofit Project at Medupi Power Station. The CER argues that Eskom has adopted a 'piecemeal approach' to the environmental impact assessment (EIA), deferring critical issues such as water security, waste minimisation, and health impacts to separate processes to 'fast track' the project. The submission specifically challenges the rejection of inlet gas cooler technology, which could reduce water consumption by approximately 30%, and criticizes the plan to co-dispose of gypsum and ash, which would destroy the commercial value of the gypsum.
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Document type: Statement
Coal to Clean
The report argues that the UK can transition directly to clean power generation by 2025, bypassing the need for a 'gas bridge' of new large gas plants. It finds that renewables, particularly offshore wind, along with interconnectors and battery storage, are sufficient to replace coal capacity. The document suggests that relying on large gas plants would be costly and lock in higher emissions, recommending instead a focus on long-term storage innovation and policies to limit emissions from small peaking gas generators.
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Document type: Report
clientearth-and-eeb-joint-letter-on-access-to-justice-coll-en-813bc32639a09ec1.pdf
ClientEarth and the European Environmental Bureau are calling on EU Environment Ministers to push the Commission to revise the Aarhus Regulation. This follows a 2017 finding by the Aarhus Convention's Compliance Committee that the EU is in non-compliance because environmental NGOs have virtually no access to the Court of Justice of the EU to challenge EU institutional acts and omissions, except in cases involving access to documents.
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Document type: Statement
Popular Anti-Immigration Movements – and the Response of Democracy – Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO)
The author argues that opposition to immigration is a pervasive popular movement across Europe, regardless of a country's ethnic homogeneity or immigration policy. This trend is contributing to political polarization and a potential 'de-democratization' process, particularly as it aligns with skepticism toward supranational solutions like the EU. The text highlights a divide between 'new' and 'old' Europe, noting that some Eastern European countries lack the same norms of tolerance as Western Europe, which influences their resistance to EU refugee quotas.
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Document type: Statement
Promoting Public Participation in Climate Policies
The document argues that public participation and access to information are essential for the effective implementation of the Paris Agreement, contributing to higher ambition and resilience. It outlines specific entry points for enhancing these procedural rights across several UNFCCC agenda items, including Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), Adaptation Communications, the Transparency Framework, the Global Stocktake, and Article 6 mechanisms. It also highlights the importance of regional frameworks like the Aarhus and Escazú Conventions and calls for improved engagement of observer organizations and the operationalization of the Local Communities and Indigenous Peoples Platform.
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Document type: Briefing
Smart Phones for Refugees: Tools for Survival, or Surveillance?
The document examines the shift in the perception of smartphones for refugees from humanitarian assets to instruments of state surveillance. It details how several European governments are implementing or proposing legislation to search digital devices to verify identities and conduct security screenings. The authors argue that this practice raises critical questions regarding proportionality, the right to privacy, and the digital vulnerability of migrants, warning that digital data is not a 'silver bullet' for truth and can be manipulated or misinterpreted.
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Document type: Policy brief
Developing and Implementing Gender Policies in the OSCE
The OSCE has struggled to implement its 2004 Gender Action Plan due to increased political polarisation, a consensus-based decision-making rule that grants all 57 participating States veto power, and budget constraints. While conservative states and the Holy See have resisted the 'gender' agenda, the document argues that the OSCE's field missions provide a critical opportunity to implement gender-oriented policies on the ground, provided their autonomy is protected from political turmoil.
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Document type: Policy brief
Will the Ramaphosa dawn ripple across SADC?
The paper argues that SADC's integration efforts have been hindered by weak leadership, a lack of enforcement powers in its Secretariat, and a reluctance by member states to cede sovereignty. It suggests that President Ramaphosa's background in mining could drive a future-oriented regional mining strategy, particularly regarding minerals for renewable energy batteries, and that strengthening the SADC Parliament is necessary to ensure regional policies are domesticated into national laws.
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Document type: Research paper
Analysis of distributions of hourly NO2 concentrations contributing to annual average NO2 concentrations across the European monitoring network 2000-2014
The analysis of over 2,500 European monitoring sites reveals that annual average NO2 concentrations are driven by diverse hourly and monthly contributions that do not follow specific regional patterns. Between 2000 and 2014, trends showed an increase in NO2 contributions from winter months and rush-hour periods, while the contribution from peak hourly concentrations decreased. Because sites with similar annual averages can have very different underlying concentration patterns due to local emissions, chemistry, and meteorology, the study argues that air quality mitigation strategies must be tailored to the specific variability of each location rather than applied uniformly.
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Document type: Research paper
Migration: a successful climate adaptation strategy
The document presents temporary migration as a 'home-grown climate change adaptation' strategy used by farmers and pastoralists to survive climate-induced agricultural failures. It highlights how restrictive border policies and conflicts hinder this survival mechanism, urging governments to create legal migration options and open borders to facilitate safe adaptation rather than attempting to prevent movement.
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Document type: Statement
Low-Carbon Innovation for Sustainable Infrastructure: The role of public procurement
The document outlines strategies for using public procurement to support the transition to a low-carbon economy in Europe's infrastructure and construction sectors. It identifies key stages of the procurement cycle for driving innovation and offers specific recommendations for the European Commission and EU member states to scale up the use of public funds to stimulate demand for low-carbon solutions.
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Document type: Report
Trends in weather extremes
The analysis finds that heat and cold extremes are warming globally in line with average temperatures, with cold extremes in Siberia and Canada warming particularly fast. Extreme daily precipitation is generally increasing at a rate of approximately 7% per degree Celsius, though regional variations exist. While trends in tropical cyclone frequency are difficult to determine, their impacts have increased due to higher precipitation and sea level rise. Drought trends remain complex and highly dependent on the specific definition used.
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Document type: Research paper