News & Press
By Kaisa Amaral on 16 Mar 2020
ICAO decision on aviation carbon market rules a step in the right direction but fails to exclude all junk credits
MONTREAL/BRUSSELS, 14 March 2020. The UN aviation body ICAO’s Council has agreed to recognise carbon offsets from six existing offset programmes for use by airlines under CORSIA, the UN’s new carbon market for aviation. The Council’s 36 member countries also decided to limit the age of credits used as well as the type of projects eligible. However, the total supply of…
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In landmark decision, Panama withdraws UN registration for Barro Blanco hydrodam project
Marrakech, Morocco; Panama City, Panama – 10 November 2016: Last week, Panama withdrew its registration of the controversial Barro Blanco hydro dam project on grounds of stakeholder violation, a precedent under the UN’s Clean Development Mechanism (CDM). While this decision is a step in the right direction for climate action, lessons need to be learned…
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Barro Blanco: flooding suspended, international lenders pressured to act
Faced with intense national and international pressure, Panamanian authorities suspended the flooding of the Barro Blanco reservoir two weeks after it began. International lenders are being pressured by international NGOs as they have a key role in settling the situation. On May 22nd, Panama’s National Authority for Public Services (ASEP) announced a “test flooding” of…
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Barro Blanco: Panama urged to suspend hydro dam flooding amid growing concerns over human rights violations
In a move to bring the contentious Barro Blanco hydro dam project towards its completion, the Panamanian authorities have given the green light to begin flooding the reservoir. Affected indigenous communities still oppose the project, refusing to leave their endangered lands. Carbon Market Watch and other international NGOs have sent a letter to Panama’s President…
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Barro Blanco: Flooding begins on UN approved hydro dam as indigenous defenders are forcefully removed
Washington DC, Bonn, Kiad, Panama 24 May 2016 – Today the floodgates were opened on the contentious UN backed Barro Blanco hydro dam in Panama, sparking forced removal by authorities of indigenous Ngäbe communities that are living in protest camps near the dam site. With construction finished, GENISA, the company that owns and operates the…
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EU needs to step up domestic climate efforts to deliver on Paris
Brussels 22 April 2016. Today at least 160 countries – and the EU – gather in New York to sign a landmark climate deal with an ambitious target to limit global warming to 1.5°C above preindustrial levels. On this occasion, 23 organisations urge EU leaders to ensure that Europe’s largest climate instrument will be made coherent with the Paris agreement. Other key areas where the EU needs to deliver are the EU Emissions Trading System, and emissions from aviation.
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Paris builds recognition for Human Rights obligations in climate action
HR -Protect Human Rights in all climate actionsIn Paris, governments recognized the interconnectivity of climate change and human rights. With a detailed preambular language that specifies that Parties, when taking action to address climate change, have to respect, promote and consider respective human rights obligations, the Paris agreement sets the foundation to make the new sustainable development mechanism accountable to human rights obligations.
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Report highlights need for human rights in the Paris agreement
Paris, 10 December 2015. Today, at the occasion of the International Human Rights Day, Carbon Market Watch and CIDSE have released a new report highlighting the impact that climate projects can have on human rights. Join a large coalition of civil society groups at a media action at the COP21 venue.
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UN’s carbon offsetting executive to discuss human rights safeguards
Brussels, 12 October. Following numerous incidents of human rights violations related to carbon offsetting projects, the UN’s Board of the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) will, for the first time, discuss options to address these concerns at its 86th meeting starting today. The Board will also discuss recommendations to overhaul the CDM’s local stakeholder consultation rules, including a requirement that projects must repeat consultations if they have not been carried out in line with national laws. In an open letter, 96 groups from 35 countries have highlighted their support for these changes.
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CDM Board to discuss human rights safeguards
Following numerous incidents of human rights violations related to CDM projects, the CDM Board will, for the first time, discuss options to address these concerns at its next meeting starting on 12 October. It will also discuss recommendations to overhaul the CDM’s local stakeholder consultation rules, including a requirement that projects must repeat consultations if they have not been carried out in line with national laws.
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