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A letter from the U.S. Secretary of State to Senator Bill Frist urging the completion of the legislative process to allow the United States to join the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) and other international chemical agreements.

This research paper by Claudia Saladin for the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) analyzes the Convention on Access to Information, Public Participation in Decision-Making and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters (the Public Participation Convention) and argues that its transparency and accountability requirements should apply to export credit agencies (ECAs).

This briefing by the Center for International Environmental Law analyzes the trade provisions of the Montreal Protocol on Substances That Deplete the Ozone Layer. It details the different obligations for ordinary Parties, developing country Parties (Article 5), and non-Parties, specifically focusing on restrictions on the import and export of controlled substances and products containing them. The document also examines the financial mechanisms for developing countries, such as the Multilateral Fund, and discusses potential legal conflicts between the Protocol's trade restrictions and the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT).

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 briefing by the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) and the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) provides a critical analysis of the UNEP 'Options for Elements' Paper prepared for the second session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC-2). The document evaluates the proposed core obligations and control measures for a new legally binding instrument on plastic pollution, highlighting gaps where the Options Paper fails to reflect the ambition of Member State submissions, particularly regarding upstream production limits, chemical safety, and the protection of human health.

This report examines the evolving role of the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) in addressing the intersection of climate change and states' obligations under the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (ICERD). It details the Committee's initial steps toward integrating climate-related concerns into its state reporting procedures and recommendations, particularly regarding Indigenous Peoples and people of African descent.

This document is a formal complaint filed by members of the Mapuche-Pehuenche indigenous community of Ralco Lepoy against the State of Chile before the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR). The petitioners allege that the Chilean government and the company ENDESA have violated their human rights through the construction of the Ralco Hydroelectric Project, which threatens to flood ancestral lands and destroy their cultural and religious identity.

This report by the Center for International Environmental Law analyzes legal and procedural options to overcome the 'blockade' in listing hazardous chemicals under Annex III of the Rotterdam Convention. It evaluates the implications of amending the existing consensus-based listing procedure versus creating a new annex to enhance the Convention's effectiveness in facilitating the Prior Informed Consent (PIC) procedure.

This guide, published by the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL), provides local community leaders and indigenous peoples with information on human rights and legal tools to defend their interests within the context of Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+). It explains the REDD+ mechanism, its social and environmental safeguards, relevant international and national rights, and provides practical strategies for negotiation and reporting rights violations.

This guide, published by the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) in May 2014, provides indigenous and local community leaders with information on human rights and legal tools to defend their interests during the implementation of Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+) initiatives.

This briefing argues that the UNFCCC is the appropriate venue for addressing international and transboundary drivers of deforestation and that doing so does not inherently violate World Trade Organization (WTO) regulations. The authors contend that joint action by UNFCCC Parties to reduce emissions from deforestation is consistent with both UNFCCC principles and WTO exceptions for environmental protection.

This research paper proposes a 'combined strategy' to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by integrating international marketable permits, emissions fees, and country commitments. The author argues that while industrial countries are the primary source of emissions, a successful global regime must balance the economic stability of industrial nations with the development needs and fairness concerns of developing countries.

This research paper analyzes the allocation of responsibility for non-compliance within the Kyoto Protocol's four cooperative implementation (CI) mechanisms: joint fulfillment, joint implementation, the Clean Development Mechanism, and international emissions trading. The authors propose a 'traffic light' (green/yellow/red) hybrid responsibility model to balance market efficiency with environmental integrity, arguing that shifting risk to buyers during periods of implementation doubt creates stronger market incentives for sellers to comply.

This research paper examines the legal and conceptual relationship between the right to health and the right to a healthy environment. It argues that environmental quality is a fundamental determinant of health and advocates for the recognition of a standalone right to a healthy environment to ensure the effective protection of human health.

The Sierra Club and Center for International Environmental Law submitted views to the Transitional Committee of the Green Climate Fund (GCF), arguing that country ownership and adherence to international environmental, social, and fiduciary standards are compatible. They propose a five-point policy framework for the GCF to ensure sustainable development, transparency, and the protection of vulnerable populations.

This fact sheet from the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) highlights the environmental and health risks associated with the intentional use of microplastics in the agricultural sector, specifically through plastic-coated fertilizers and pesticides.

This fact sheet from the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) highlights the environmental and health risks associated with the intentional addition of microplastics to synthetic fertilizers and pesticides used in industrial agriculture.

This submission, made on behalf of the Ecosystems Climate Alliance and various partner organizations, provides recommendations to the Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice (SBSTA) on the methodological guidance and modalities for the measuring, reporting, and verifying (MRV) of REDD+ activities.

This briefing by the Center for International Environmental Law argues that WTO services trade negotiations must be integrated with existing multilateral environmental agreements and UN agency efforts to ensure that liberalization does not undermine sustainable development, human rights, or environmental protections.

A statement from the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) clarifying the distinction between aircraft vapor trails, weather modification, and solar geoengineering, while explicitly rejecting the 'chemtrails' conspiracy theory.