Forest Declaration Assessment’s Post

The CEC’s Head of Communications, Patrick Tonissen, caught up with Justin Gulino, Conservation Associate at the National Caucus of Environmental Legislators (NCEL) at UN Biodiversity #COP16: Justin emphasizes the importance of sub-national engagement in environmental action and hopes to see more meaningful recognition and understanding when engaging with people and local communities. ‘International environmental cooperation should be more focused on the subnational level. We do see at the international level that our policymakers are coming together and negotiating with each other. And while this discourse between the international players is very important, we are missing that subnational scope. They really are the ones who are going to be implementing the agreed-upon goals and targets here. Elevating sub-national and regional leaders might really be the key to unlocking more holistic cooperation.’ COP16 Colombia #COP16Colombia

🌍 Our Environmental Law lecturer Mitchell Lennan is in Baku this week for #COP29. Look out for his blog post summarising his key findings - coming soon! #AberdeenLawFamily #ClimateChange #EnvironmentalLawExperts #abdnCOP29

🦭With #COP29 underway, there is a call on States to prioritise effective climate action and sufficient finance in accordance with human rights, with ambitious climate action up to 2030.   🌊One Ocean Hub Director Elisa Morgera and Dr Mitchell Lennan, Lecturer in Environmental Law (University of Aberdeen) are in Baku this week. This event will convene to complete the first enhanced transparency framework and is expected to adopt the new collective quantified goal on finance, and an updated gender action plan. 📖Read more in our second Hub-led Special issue, written by Elisa and Mitchell: 'Applying a human rights lens to the ocean-climate nexus' here - https://lnkd.in/euPPFUpE, .   🐙We look forward to hearing about progression in addressing the urgent challenges facing our ocean and taking ocean-based action to the next level. ✉️If you’d like to connect with Elisa and Mitchell about the One Ocean Hub, please DM them on LinkedIn. #COP29 #HumanRights #climateaction

Hands Off Mother Earth! (HOME) Alliance members Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung's Linda Schneider and ETC Group - Action Group on Erosion, Technology and Concentration's Silvia Ribeiro share how #COP29 could undermine the the precaution on geoengineering called by the UN Biodiversity Convention on Biological Diversity #COP16. 🚨 Negotiations over Article 6.4, the section of Article 6 which deals with international #carbonmarkets, had reached a stalemate at previous COPs. 🚨 However, in an effort to overcome this, the Article 6.4 Supervisory Body, which is tasked with developing the key rules and methodologies for Paris Agreement carbon markets, made a cunning move this year: After consensus was not reached on its recommendations at #COP27 or #COP28, at its last meeting in October 2024, the 6.4 Supervisory Body quietly decided to convert its recommendations into “internal standards” that came into in force immediately, and which supposedly do not require further discussion and approval at #COP29. 🚨This unilateral step could undermine the UN’s own governance, risking harm to both climate and biodiversity goals opening the floodgates to the commercialisation of several forms of dangerous and unproven land and marine geoengineering technologies. 🚨This would bring many risks to ecosystems and to communities, particularly those living around carbon capture facilities or whose livelihoods are based on artisanal fisheries and other marine activities. Read the full article here ⏩ https://lnkd.in/eXXthKQz #NoFalseSolutions #HandsOffMotherEarth #COP29Baku #NoGeoengineering #NoCarbonMarkets ETC Group - Action Group on Erosion, Technology and Concentration Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) Third World Network Geoengineering Monitor Climate Justice Alliance Indigenous Environmental Network Biofuelwatch

As the world continues to follow the conversations at #COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan, we want to spotlight an example of a voice that underscores why climate justice is essential—not just as a global issue but as a deeply personal one. During a panel discussion at the #2024PILnetGlobalForum on Weathering the Storm: Climate, Displacement and Pro Bono in Asia Pacific, Fijian lawyer Nemani V Loulou put it powerfully: "When we talk about climate displacement you are talking about me. Me, my kids, my family, my community, my country. One day I’ll have to pack my bags and leave my home. In 50 years my kids will be walking down the street somewhere and someone will ask them where they are from and they will say Fiji. And they will be asked to point it out on the map but they will say sorry we can’t, we’re not there anymore.” This isn’t just a distant future—it’s happening now. And while policies and promises are debated at high levels, sustainable change demands action on all fronts. At PILnet, we believe in the transformative potential of strategic pro bono legal work. By fostering collaboration between private sector lawyers and civil society organizations, we aim to: 🔹 Empower and protect climate and environmental defenders. 🔹 Strengthen networks of solidarity and support. 🔹 Deliver tailored legal expertise to amplify the impact of local efforts. Because climate justice isn’t just about the planet—it’s about the people living on it today, tomorrow, and generations to come. Fiji Law Society

#COP29 is wrapping up with some high-level climate commitments having been made by Governments. But as Nemani V Loulou, Lara Jesani, Nilotpal Datta, Najeeba Wazefadost and Carole Dahan highlighted last week during our conversation on the intersections between climate, displacement and pro bono, there is a huge gap between what is being said at the international level and what is occurring on the ground - where climate-induced and climate-action displacement is already happening. The legal community has an important role to play in supporting those affected by displacement today, while also seeking to holding governments to account for the commitments that have made to reduce climate change and protect others from displacement in the future:

UNEA-6 Conference in Kenya 🇰🇪 Under the backdrop of very hot weather in the Kenyan capital, the sixth session of the UN Environment Assembly (UNEA-6) took place from the 26th February to the 1st of March 2024 at the UNEP headquarters in Nairobi. In this post, I will be sharing four key moments from the conference. Ministerial Declaration 🏛️ Countries adopted this declaration where they pledged to increase efforts to counter climate change, nature and biodiversity loss, and pollution and waste - also known as the triple planetary crisis. Collaboration and international cooperation was seen as key to achieving this so that a ‘better tomorrow’ can be created. Resolutions Adopted 🌍 The nations adopted 15 resolutions which targeted some of the country’s most pressing environmental challenges. These included: a call for the sustainable mining of energy transition minerals, controlling pollution from chemicals and waste, combating desertification and land degradation, reducing air pollution and protecting the ocean and seas. The Power of Science 🔭 UNEP launched three headline reports which provided policymakers that they needed to use science when making key decisions about the environment. These reports were titled, ‘The Global Waste Management Outlook’, ‘The Global Resources Outlook’ and the ‘Used Heavy-Duty Vehicles and the Environment’. Multilateralism 🙏 Multilateral collaboration was celebrated during the conference. An entire day was dedicated to showcasing Multilateral Environmental Agreements (a series of international pacts designed to safeguard the planet). These pacts have helped to protect endangered species, repair the ozone layer and rein in chemical pollution. The overarching theme of UNEA-6 was that the planet is at a tipping point and that there is an urgent need for humanity to act to address the crisis. Although much was spoken about how to achieve this goal, it is crucial that these are translated into practice to make it a reality. ⏰ #UNEP #UNEA #environment #climatecrisis

United Nations Under-Secretary-General Inger Andersen visited the National Pavilion of Uzbekistan I. Andersen noted that she found free time in her busy schedule to specially visit the pavilion of Uzbekistan and recall the impressions she had from her visit to the republic. At the meeting, the United Nations Under-Secretary-General thanked Uzbekistan for deepening cooperation with UN Environment Programme and its structures, in particular, actively initiating high-level events of the UNEP environmental conventions, including the 21st session of the Committee for the Review of the Implementation of the UN Convention (UNCCD CRIC21), the 14th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS COP14), and the 20th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES COP20). Read more: https://lnkd.in/eB8cDYkn #COP29 #COP29Baku #COP29Uzbekistan #climatechange

Inger Andersen, UNEP Executive Director, emphasizes the crucial role of environmental rule of law in protecting the most vulnerable from the impacts of climate change. This principle aligns closely with our mission at Sustainability Economics — to drive equitable and sustainable solutions that prioritize both people and the planet. Together, let’s work towards a future where environmental justice and sustainability go hand in hand.  #COP29 #COP29Azerbaijan #ClimateAction #Baku

This year's chief environmental summits took place within a global context where the biodiversity and climate crises are nearing dangerous tipping points – a scenario that could lead to irreversible changes in ecosystems and massive economic losses. Nevertheless, negotiators failed to act with the urgency and focus that the extent of the ongoing crisis needed, according to experts. The #COP16 in Cali was abruptly suspended during the final plenary, while plastic talks did not end as hoped at #INC5 in Busan. As well, nature was virtually absent from the negotiations at #COP29 in Baku, and the desertification COP missed the target of establishing a global framework. "Considering the state of biodiversity, 2024 has been quite a disappointing year at the global level," Guido Broekhoven, head of policy research and development at WWF, told our reporter Giada Ferraglioni. Observers agreed that the recurring obstacle across 2024 negotiations was the breakdown of trust that all parties will eventually take on a fair share of addressing the crisis. "The historical reality is that the developed world has been pumping carbon into the atmosphere and has been causing biodiversity loss at home and abroad through its consumption, whereas developing countries have borne the brunt of all that," said Catherine Weller, director of global policy at Fauna & Flora . 🌳 Read the full story with comments from Andres Del Castillo from the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) and Souparna Lahiri from the Global Forest Coalition, and subscribe: https://lnkd.in/dRCwwawy