Search Climate Insights Directory

A statement by the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) and World’s Youth for Climate Justice (WYCJ) urging UN member states to support a resolution on May 20, 2026, to operationalize the International Court of Justice's (ICJ) Advisory Opinion on states' climate obligations.

This briefing paper argues that the proposed United Nations Legally Binding Instrument (LBI) to regulate transnational corporations is a critical structural lever for achieving environmental justice. It contends that existing voluntary frameworks are inadequate to stop corporate-driven ecological destruction and that the LBI can transform the right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment (RtHE) into enforceable obligations, ensuring corporate liability and access to remedy across transnational value chains.

This briefing paper argues for the necessity of a legally binding United Nations instrument to regulate transnational corporations and other businesses as a structural lever for environmental justice. It contends that current voluntary frameworks are insufficient to ensure corporate accountability for ecological destruction and human rights violations, particularly in the Global South.

This policy brief by the African Future Policies Hub analyzes the implications of the July 2025 International Court of Justice (ICJ) Advisory Opinion on the Obligations of States in Respect of Climate Change. The document argues that the ruling provides a legal and moral foundation to demand scaled-up climate finance, emphasizing the principles of Common but Differentiated Responsibilities and Respective Capabilities (CBDR-RC) and the necessity of reparations. It specifically links the ruling to the Baku to Belém (B2B) Roadmap and the financing of the third generation of Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) leading up to COP30.

This report by the Climate Policy Initiative analyzes the scale and diversity of the forest-climate nexus across 91 tropical countries. It quantifies forest extent, carbon stocks, and deforestation rates to argue for differentiated, fit-for-purpose policy strategies rather than a one-size-fits-all approach. The analysis concludes that there is no inherent trade-off between forest conservation and economic development.

This briefing paper argues for the adoption of a United Nations legally binding instrument (LBI) to regulate transnational corporations as a structural lever for environmental justice. It highlights the failure of voluntary frameworks to ensure corporate accountability for ecological destruction and human rights abuses, proposing that a binding treaty would operationalize the right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment through mandatory due diligence, extraterritorial jurisdiction, and effective remediation.

This briefing by the Center for International Environmental Law analyzes a July 23, 2025, advisory opinion from the International Court of Justice (ICJ) regarding States' obligations to address climate change. The ruling, adopted unanimously by 15 judges, establishes that States have binding obligations under international law to protect the climate system, phase out fossil fuels, and provide reparations for climate damage.

This guide by the World Resources Institute explains the mechanisms, current regulatory status, potential benefits, and ecological risks of deep-sea mining. It highlights the tension between the demand for critical minerals for the energy transition and the significant knowledge gaps regarding the impact on deep-ocean ecosystems and global carbon cycles.

This briefing note from the Center for International Environmental Law outlines the legal obligations of States to protect the ocean from climate change by halting fossil fuel expansion and phasing out their use. It highlights the significance of climate advisory opinions from the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS), the International Court of Justice (ICJ), and the Inter-American Court of Human Rights in establishing these duties.

This guide from the World Resources Institute explains the concept of 'loss and damage' in the context of climate change, detailing the distinction between economic and non-economic losses, the history of UN negotiations, and the operationalization of the Fund for Responding to Loss and Damage (FRLD).

This research paper proposes a comprehensive trade and sustainable development agenda for the Organization of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS) within the multilateral trading system. It outlines a five-part plan to leverage the World Trade Organization (WTO) for green industrialization and suggests adopting partnership models, such as those used by the EU, to reduce commodity dependence and enhance renewable energy production.

This report by the Center for International Environmental Law argues that a restrictive international governance framework for geoengineering already exists across environmental agreements and human rights law, but is being undermined by a proliferation of outdoor experiments and commercial carbon markets.

This briefing note by the Forum on Trade, Environment, & the SDGs (TESS) examines the expansion and dynamics of global carbon markets, categorizing them into compliance-based, voluntary, and multilateral systems under Article 6 of the Paris Agreement. It analyzes the trade implications of these markets, including competitiveness concerns and the use of mechanisms like the EU's Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), while highlighting the specific opportunities and financial challenges facing developing countries in adopting these tools.

A statement delivered by Hon. Kerrie D. Symmonds, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Barbados, on 26 June 2024, calling for the immediate entry into force of the WTO Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies and the conclusion of negotiations on overcapacity and overfishing.

This briefing by Zero Carbon Analytics examines the status and challenges of Article 6 (A6) of the Paris Agreement leading into and during COP29. It details the three mechanisms for international climate cooperation: Article 6.2 (bilateral trading), Article 6.4 (a UN-governed global market), and Article 6.8 (non-market approaches). The document highlights critical integrity concerns, including the risk of double counting, the lack of transparency in bilateral deals, and the controversy surrounding the use of REDD+ activities and emissions avoidance credits. It specifically notes that operational standards for A6.4 were adopted on the first day of COP29, a move criticized by some observers for lacking transparency.

The World Resources Institute outlines four key demands from the ACT2025 consortium for COP28: advancing ambition to limit warming to 1.5°C through a 43% emissions cut by 2030; scaling up people-centered adaptation; operationalizing loss and damage institutions; and mobilizing trillions in climate finance to replace the insufficient billion-dollar commitments.

This report by the Global Center on Adaptation and the Climate and Development Knowledge Network documents 19 locally led adaptation (LLA) initiatives globally. It emphasizes the importance of devolving decision-making to the lowest appropriate level, addressing structural inequalities (particularly for women and Indigenous Peoples), and providing patient, predictable funding. The document highlights how communities use ecosystem restoration, circular economy practices, and intergenerational collaboration to build resilience, while calling for a shift in climate finance to better support holistic, community-defined priorities.

This briefing note by the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) analyzes the outcomes of the COP27 climate conference in Sharm el-Sheikh, focusing on the integration of human rights into climate policies. It highlights a major breakthrough in loss and damage finance while criticizing the failure to address fossil fuel phase-out and the restrictions placed on civil society by the host country.

This report analyzes whether 67 countries integrated climate adaptation and resilience into their COVID-19 recovery measures between January 2020 and December 2021. The analysis reveals a paradox where a country's income level was a more significant determinant of climate-responsive recovery than its actual vulnerability to climate risks.

The 2022 Report on the WHO-Civil Society Working Group to Advance Action on Climate and Health details the collaboration between the World Health Organization (WHO) and health civil society to integrate health considerations into global climate policy. The report highlights 2022 achievements, including coordinated submissions to the UNFCCC, advocacy for a fossil fuel non-proliferation treaty, and the establishment of a WHO Health Pavilion at COP27. It outlines future goals for 2023 and 2024, including a proposed World Health Assembly (WHA) resolution on climate change, air pollution, and health.