Search Climate Insights Directory

This report by the Center for International Environmental Law examines the intersection of mercury pollution and human rights, detailing the neurotoxic effects of various forms of mercury and how these impacts violate the rights to life, health, food, and information, particularly for children and workers in artisanal mining.

This report by the Center for International Environmental Law examines the adverse health effects of mercury pollution and its implications for fundamental human rights, including the rights to life, health, food, and information. It highlights the vulnerability of children and fetuses, the impact of artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM), and specific historical disasters such as the Minamata event.

This briefing note by the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) and the Global Initiative for Economic, Social & Cultural Rights (GIESCR) reviews the 2023 outputs of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) regarding climate change. It details the Committee's focus on gender-responsive adaptation, the disproportionate impact of climate change on marginalized women, and recommendations concerning fossil fuel extraction and climate finance.

The Center for International Environmental Law and other organizations argue against launching multilateral investment negotiations at the WTO. They contend that such an agreement would restrict the policy space of developing countries, be driven by the interests of industrialized nations, and utilize an inappropriate dispute settlement mechanism that favors investors over sustainable development and public health.

This policy brief examines the conflict between international intellectual property (IP) rights and the protection of traditional knowledge and biological resources. It argues that the TRIPS Agreement fails to recognize traditional knowledge, contrasting it with the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), and advocates for the amendment of IP agreements to require disclosure of origin and benefit-sharing.

This research paper by the Center for International Environmental Law examines the World Bank's approach to governance, civil society, and human rights. It argues that the Bank's adherence to a narrow economic view of development, rooted in its Articles of Agreement, has led it to treat these critical social and political factors as mere instrumentalities for project goals rather than essential components of sustainable development.

This research paper examines the push by developing countries to incorporate a mandatory disclosure of origin for biological resources and traditional knowledge into the TRIPS Agreement. This effort aims to prevent the misappropriation of genetic resources and ensure compatibility with the Convention on Biological Diversity (CDB). While there is growing consensus among many developing nations and some support from the European Union and Switzerland, opposition remains from the United States and Japan.

This report chapter argues that secure tenurial rights are a fundamental prerequisite for successful community-based conservation (CBC). It contrasts the failures of state-owned 'public' tenure—which often leads to 'open access' degradation—with the effectiveness of community-based systems that derive legitimacy from local participants. The authors advocate for the state recognition of community perimeters to protect biodiversity and prevent the disenfranchisement of rural populations by domestic and international elites.

This briefing by the Center for International Environmental Law outlines several reform options for Investor-State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) to be considered by UNCITRAL Working Group III. The document argues that current ISDS mechanisms are asymmetrical, often ignoring state obligations and public interest, and proposes alternatives such as multilateral treaty termination, the allowance of state counterclaims, public interest carve-outs, 'clean hands' clauses for investors, the requirement to exhaust local remedies, and expanded third-party access to proceedings.

The Healthy NDC Scorecard is a visual tool designed to evaluate whether national climate commitments (NDCs) are sufficient to protect human health, measuring them against the Paris Agreement and science-aligned targets.

This report by the Global Climate and Health Alliance (GCHA) provides reflections from its members on the outcomes of the 78th World Health Assembly (WHA78) in May 2025. It details key policy achievements, such as the adoption of the Global Action Plan on Climate and Health and the first pandemic agreement, while highlighting critical gaps regarding fossil fuel phase-outs and implementation uncertainties.

This statement by Friends of the Earth International outlines four guiding principles for a "just recovery" following the COVID-19 crisis. The organization argues that the pandemic is a result of a capitalist, patriarchal, and racist economic system that prioritizes profit over human rights and the environment. The document calls for a systemic transformation that abandons neoliberalism, promotes international solidarity, strengthens democracy, and addresses interrelated ecological and social crises through a redistributive economy and a transition to 100% renewable energy.

Friends of the Earth International proposes four guiding principles for a "just recovery" from the COVID-19 crisis, arguing that the pandemic stems from a capitalist, patriarchal, and racist economic system. The organization calls for a transformative system change that prioritizes ecological limits, human rights, and the redistribution of wealth over corporate profits and neoliberal austerity.

This document provides the key terms and methodology for the Forest Declaration Assessment, focusing on indicators for forest loss, degradation, and restoration. It details the use of a linear reduction pathway to reach 'gross zero' deforestation by 2030 and outlines the data sources and cost-effectiveness thresholds used to estimate global restoration potential through 2050.

This management letter, dated August 11, 2004, was issued by KPMG Auditores Independentes to the Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (IAI). The document details internal control weaknesses identified during an interim audit, focusing on member contribution arrears, project reporting irregularities, approval flows, contract deficiencies, procurement manuals, and human resources practices.

This briefing from the Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (IAI) presents a comparative analysis of different scales for calculating member country contributions to its basic budget. The Financial and Administrative Committee (FAC) evaluated the current Organization of American States (OAS) scale against the United Nations (UN) and International Council for Science (ICSU) scales, suggesting that the UN scale better reflects payment capacity.

The Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (IAI) requested a core budget of US$ 936,353 for Fiscal Year 2001/2002, slightly higher than previous estimates. The budget relies on contributions from member countries, with the United States providing the largest share (US$ 550,000). The IAI warns that its cash flow is highly sensitive to contribution levels, noting that a drop to 80% of approved contributions would result in a deficit of US$ 154,353.

This document consists of reports from the fourteenth and fifteenth meetings of the Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (IAI) Scientific Advisory Committee (SAC), held in November 2000 in Washington, DC, and May 2001 in Sao Jose dos Campos, Brazil. The meetings focused on the management of the Collaborative Research Network (CRN) and Initial Science Program (ISP), the integration of Human Dimensions (HD) into global change science, and the strategic direction of IAI's funding and institutional partnerships.

The document is a report from the 22nd meeting of the Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (IAI) Scientific Advisory Committee (SAC), held in Sao Jose dos Campos, Brazil, from July 26-28, 2005. The meeting focused on the IAI's funding crisis, the evaluation of research proposals for the second round of the Collaborative Research Network (CRN II) program, and updates on upcoming meetings and institutional partnerships.

The Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (IAI) announced the IAI Small Grant Program (IAI-SGP) in November 2001. This competitive program provides funding for small research projects, workshops, and technical reports to foster collaborative global change research among scientists and institutions in IAI member countries, specifically aiming to build the foundation for future research networks.