Search Climate Insights Directory

The document is a compilation of inputs regarding the GCF's accreditation process. Key themes include the need to prioritize National Implementing Entities (NIEs) over international ones to ensure country ownership, the demand for a more 'fit-for-purpose' approach for smaller or private sector entities, and proposals to monitor the overall carbon footprints of accredited entities to ensure they align with the Paris Agreement. Stakeholders highlight systemic delays in the accreditation pipeline and suggest streamlining processes through third-party verification and multi-language support.

The Accreditation Panel recommends that the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) be upgraded to 'large' project size and 'high risk' (Category A/I-1) environmental and social risk categories. The assessment found that IFAD's fiduciary standards, project management capacities, and environmental and social safeguards fully meet GCF requirements for these expanded parameters.

The report finds that most green economy plans lack meaningful participation from marginalised groups, fail to specifically target the poorest to reduce inequality, and do not sufficiently address the limits to growth or the urgency of the low-carbon transition.

This document is a Vietnamese translation of excerpts from the 'Boom & Burst Coal 2024' report by Global Energy Monitor and its partners. It analyzes global coal power trends in 2023, highlighting a dichotomy where new construction has hit a 9-year low outside China but an 8-year high within China. The report provides a detailed assessment of Vietnam's energy transition, focusing on the Power Development Plan VIII (PDP8) and the Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP), while noting that global coal capacity reached an all-time high in 2023.

The document outlines the challenges and opportunities in financing climate resilience, particularly in conflict-affected and fragile regions. It highlights the mismatch between private sector short-term return expectations and the long-term nature of resilience projects, suggesting de-risking tools like mega guarantees and parametric insurance. The report emphasizes the need for governments to address data scarcity in the Global South and the importance of supporting locally led, indigenous initiatives. Examples of successful interventions include resilience bonds in the Philippines and bundled insurance and seeds in Mozambique.

The Global Resilience Partnership (GRP) is launching the TECH 4 Resilience Challenge to identify and scale AI innovations that enhance humanitarian preparedness and response to climate shocks. The initiative targets entrepreneurs and organisations operating in low- and middle-income countries, offering winners up to US$50,000 in funding, alongside mentoring, a virtual Leadership Academy, and investment mobilisation support. Eligible solutions must address extreme climate events or strengthen Anticipatory Action frameworks, with a priority on locally led innovations benefiting women and youth. The challenge opens on 1 August 2025, with final winners announced in November/December 2025 for implementation throughout 2026.

Between 2021 and 2023, mining for copper, cobalt, lithium, and nickel was linked to 334 incidents of violence or protest across 19 top-producing countries, averaging 111 per year. Nearly 90% of these events occurred in emerging and developing economies, while the majority of production is controlled by companies from advanced economies and major consumer countries, primarily China. The report warns that social unrest is likely to increase as production is forecast to spike by 2028 to meet climate goals, potentially destabilizing supply chains and increasing costs for renewable technologies.

The New Manila International Airport, a US$15 billion project by San Miguel Corporation, has led to the displacement of approximately 700 families and the destruction of climate-critical mangrove forests in Manila Bay. The report highlights a lack of transparency in public consultations, alleging that the project encroaches on a 'strict protection zone' and disrupts the East Asian-Australasian Flyway for migratory birds. It further criticizes the involvement of Dutch company Royal Boskalis and the insurance provided by Atradius DSB, arguing that these entities failed to adhere to OECD guidelines and international sustainability standards. The document calls for stronger EU corporate accountability laws and independent investigations into the project's violations.

Global Witness reports that 196 land and environmental defenders were murdered in 2023, bringing the total since 2012 to 2,106. The report highlights Latin America as the most dangerous region, with Colombia recording the highest number of deaths. It identifies mining as the primary sector linked to these killings and details a global trend of 'judicial harassment' and restrictive anti-protest laws in the UK, US, and EU. The document emphasizes the disproportionate targeting of Indigenous peoples and calls for the implementation of the Escazú Agreement and better corporate due diligence.

The report details how nickel mining by companies like Marcventures in Surigao del Sur, Philippines, has led to severe environmental degradation, including the pollution of critical watersheds and the destruction of livelihoods for farmers and fisherfolk. It argues that these operations are enabled by 'political capture' and corruption involving powerful dynasties, specifically naming Martin Romualdez as a beneficial owner of Marcventures. The document further links this local destruction to the global demand for electric vehicle (EV) batteries, suggesting that nickel from these mines likely enters the supply chains of major manufacturers such as Tesla and Volkswagen. It concludes by advocating for mandatory due diligence legislation in the EU to hold multinational corporations accountable for human rights and environmental harms in their value chains.

Global Witness and Kalikasan People’s Network for the Environment have welcomed the suspension of reclamation projects in Manila Bay by the Department of Natural Resources (DENR), pending reviews of environmental and social impacts. The organizations are urging President Marcos to issue a written order to ensure this suspension covers all developments, including the US $15 billion New Manila International Airport. This airport project, led by San Miguel Corporation, is accused of displacing hundreds of families and destroying climate-critical habitats since its approval in September 2019.

Derek Cabe describes the devastating impact of super-typhoons in the Philippines and advocates for legal accountability for major fossil fuel corporations. He highlights the findings of the Philippines’ Commission on Human Rights, which linked carbon pollution to human rights violations, and calls for the protection of land and environmental defenders who face violence and 'red-tagging' while opposing coal-fired power plants.

Global Witness criticizes the UK's 'Policing Bill' as an attack on democracy that uses the threat of imprisonment to deter nonviolent climate protests. The organization contends that this legislation contradicts the UK's leadership at COP26 and mirrors a global trend of criminalizing land and environmental defenders seen in countries like Brazil, India, Mexico, and the Philippines.

Global Witness reports that 200 land and environmental defenders were murdered in 2021, contributing to a ten-year total of 1,733 killings. The report identifies land inequality, corruption, and shrinking civic space as primary drivers of this violence, with Indigenous peoples disproportionately targeted. Analysis focuses on high-risk regions including Latin America, where over three-quarters of 2021 attacks occurred, and specific countries like Mexico, Colombia, Brazil, and the Philippines. The document advocates for the implementation of the Escazú Agreement and the strengthening of the EU's Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive to end corporate impunity.

Global Witness calls for an ambitious Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD) to hold EU companies accountable for environmental and human rights harms. The brief highlights a $15 billion airport project in the Philippines involving Dutch companies that resulted in mangrove destruction and family displacements. It recommends that the EU include comprehensive definitions of environmental harm, mandatory scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions due diligence, and the incorporation of international standards like the Paris Agreement and the Ramsar Convention.

The document alleges a systemic pattern where oil and gas companies fund police and political entities to silence opposition to fossil fuel infrastructure. It highlights the Line 3 pipeline in Minnesota, where Enbridge is permitted to invoice police for security, and notes a trend of increasing criminalization of climate protests across the US, UK, and Australia. The text also cites historical allegations of corporate-backed state violence by Shell and Chevron in Nigeria, and Frontera Energy in Colombia.

The statement asserts that elections in Brazil, the Philippines, and Colombia are fundamentally climate elections due to these countries' roles as 'crucial bulwarks in the fight against climate breakdown'. It highlights the intersection of climate action with public health, racial justice, and poverty reduction, while noting that these nations suffer intense climate impacts and high rates of violence against environmental defenders. The text calls for leaders who support democratic institutions, human rights, and science-based policies aligned with the Paris Commitments to avoid further climate delay and denial.

In 2022, Global Witness documented at least 177 killings of land and environmental defenders, bringing the total since 2012 to 1,910. Latin America remains the most dangerous region, accounting for 88% of 2022 deaths, with Colombia, Brazil, and Mexico as the most lethal countries. The report highlights a critical pattern of violence in the Amazon, where 22% of global killings occurred, often linked to illegal mining and agribusiness. Indigenous peoples are disproportionately targeted, representing over one-third of the victims. Beyond lethal attacks, the report details the increasing use of criminalization and harassment to silence activists, particularly in Asia and Africa. It calls for stronger corporate accountability, specifically urging the European Union to implement the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD) to hold companies responsible for human rights abuses in their global supply chains.

The document highlights the risks associated with the rapid extraction of transition minerals, specifically noting violence and human rights abuses in the Philippines. It urges the EU to implement strict sustainability standards in trade agreements and funding to ensure a just transition for mining communities.

The report reveals that the Philippines' push to become a leading exporter of transition minerals, such as nickel and copper, is causing significant land loss for Indigenous Peoples and the destruction of critical biodiversity hotspots. It highlights a pattern of state-driven violence, where the military is identified as the primary perpetrator of killings and detentions of land defenders. The document argues that the global shift to renewable energy is fueling a 'green mineral rush' that relies on 'red-tagging' activists and militarising infrastructure, particularly in Mindanao, to facilitate extractive projects.