Source material and useful links

Statement on the human rights obligations related to climate change, with a particular focus on the right to life by UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights and Environment

Climate Action Tracker individual country pledges for greenhouse gas emission reductions

Climate Justice Finance

Adaptation Gap Report 2020 from UN Environment Programme

Explainer: Dealing with the ‘loss and damage’ caused by climate change – from Carbon Brief

Why the climate crisis is a humanitarian emergency from UN Humanitarian

Climate Change and Displacement

UK Climate Change and Migration Coalition

Platform on Disaster Displacement

Climate Litigation

Client Earth

Scientists Can Now Blame Individual Natural Disasters on Climate Change – from Scientific American

(Un)Natural Disasters: Communicating Linkages Between Extreme Events and Climate Change – from World Meteorological Organization

Interview with James Thornton, head of public interest law firm Client Earth, explaining how the law can be harnessed for the good of people and the planet, from DW

more Climate Justice briefings (updated May 2021)
The Case for Climate Justice
Climate Justice in International Law
Climate Justice Finance
Climate Displacement
Climate Litigation
Source material and useful links

Recent news and opinion about Climate Justice

Rich countries ‘confident’ $100bn climate finance delivered in 2023

19/9/2023: Ministers from richer countries believe that their $100 billion a year climate finance promise will be met in 2023, but not confirmed until 2025 at the earliest. The delay means governments will go into Cop28 and Cop29 without assurance that the goal has been met, doing nothing to ease tensions between developed and developing countries.

Source: Climate Home News

Small islands open case at landmark maritime court hearing

11/9/2023: The heads of small island states most vulnerable to climate change have criticised “endless” climate change negotiations. At the start of an unprecedented maritime court hearing, they have called for legally binding obligations, rather than empty promises that go unfulfilled.

Source: Climate Home News

Stop calling people ‘climate refugees’

11/9/2023: Despite the rejection of the term “climate refugee” by the UN Refugee Agency, and the International Organization on Migration, it persists in popular media. “Climate refugee” implies that populations displaced by climate change are protected by the 1951 Refugee Convention. They are not.

Source: Climate Home News

More leadership needed from G20 countries

9/9/2023: In response to the G20 New Delhi Leaders’ Declaration, the World Resources Institute warns that these countries must shift more rapidly away from fossil fuels - and do more to address the severe lack of finance and debt crises that climate-vulnerable countries face.

Source: World Resources Institute

A wolf in sheep’s clothing: why Africa should shun carbon markets

7/9/2023: There is increasing hype and push for so-called voluntary carbon markets in Africa. For global corporations, purchasing credits is the cheapest way to avoid real cuts in emissions and continue business as usual. Since carbon markets were started more than two decades ago, there’s a large body of evidence showing offsetting schemes mean insecurity and land grabs for local communities

Source: Climate Home News

Africa’s inaugural climate summit ends with mixed reviews

8/9/2023: Africa’s first climate summit has ended with the adoption of the Nairobi Declaration, which calls for new global taxes to fund climate change action, an increase in Africa’s renewable generation capacity, and a new debt relief architecture. However, civil society organizations criticized the declaration for promoting false solutions such as carbon markets.

Source: Devex

Developing countries call for $100 billion loss and damage target

30/8/2023: Citing a UN-commissioned report that foresees climate-related loss and damages reaching $150-300 billion a year by 2030, developing countries say that $100 billion should be a minimum commitment. The 2030 target is one of several contentious proposals at negotiations in the Dominican Republic this week ahead of COP28 in December.

Source: Climate Home News

Why rich nations must pour climate funds into Africa

30/8/2023: Graca Michel calls on the forthcoming Africa Climate Summit in Nairobi to demonstrate that climate adaptation investment in Africa is in all our interests. Countries across the global north and south should work together to finally meet the commitments jointly made under the Paris agreement back in 2015.

Source: The Guardian

Kenya’s pitch at Africa Climate Summit sparks justice concerns

21/8/2023: Africa's first climate summit aims to unify the continent’s position on key issues ahead of the COP28 climate talks in December. Co-host Kenya is calling for a new narrative that ends the “blame game” between developed and developing countries. Fellow negotiators are anxious not to disregard the strongly held principle of common but differentiated responsibilities.

Source: African Arguments

US aims to limit loss and damage fund

24/8/2023: The US, which long opposed the new Loss and Damage fund, proposes that it should target the most vulnerable countries and focus on areas not already covered by development banks or emergency relief funds. The G77+China umbrella group of countries argues that they are all vulnerable and should be eligible.

Source: Climate Home News

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