Stay informed: News and articles on our environment.

28 April 2021 'United States President Joe Biden has prioritized achieving environmental justice and combatting climate change, following up on campaign pledges. The Biden Administration’s focus on climate change is evident in early Executive Orders (EOs)[i] and in the April 22 Climate Summit that he convened. President Biden’s focus on environmental justice (EJ) is manifested in the...

'The First Senate of the Federal Constitutional Court held that the provisions of the Federal Climate Change Act of 12 December 2019 (Bundes-Klimaschutzgesetz – KSG) governing national climate targets and the annual emission amounts allowed until 2030 are incompatible with fundamental rights insofar as they lack sufficient specifications for further emission reductions from 2031...

'A three-day Conference on the situation of Grassroots Frontline Environmental, Land and Human Right Defenders in West Africa opened on Monday, 29 March 2021 by way of the zoom technology. It was by all means a meeting of multidimensional profiles – with the high and the lowly in society interfacing. Credit to the Mano River Union Civil Society Natural Resource Rights and Governance...

Deadline: 09-Apr-21 The U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Democracy Human Rights and Labor (DRL) announces an open competition for organizations interested in submitting applications for projects that promote and defend freedom of expression and improve the equal participation and protection of women environmental defenders in the Indo-Pacific region, with a specific focus on...

Introducing GI-ESCR’s comprehensive new set of resources At GI-ESCR we work to ensure strong and effective economic, social and cultural (ESC) rights legal frameworks and accountability mechanisms, and support national and local rights advocates to leverage the human rights system. We have recently updated our webpages to provide new resources on the ESC rights developments that occur...

In this time of climate emergency and COVID-19 crisis, we have come together as civil society organizations, social movements, local communities, and Indigenous Peoples to call on the United Nations Human Rights Council to recognize without delay the human right to a safe, clean, healthy, and sustainable environment. The first version of this letter was sent on September 10, 2020, and...

'For Indigenous Mollopeople on Indonesia’s Timor Island, the forests, mountains, and water are not just their surroundings; they are as essential to their lives as food and air. These same forests and mountains are also rich in oil, gas, gold, and marble.  But for those who call the island home, these natural resources are more a curse than a blessing. Rather than benefiting...

'Scientists have mapped Brazil’s secondary forests and are now able to pinpoint the extent, age and location of regrowing vegetation anywhere in the country, opening up opportunities for incentive programs, monitoring and forest fire prevention. According to their findings, 12% of total carbon emissions from Amazon deforestation have been offset by Brazil’s secondary forests, making...