Environmental Prize Winners Highlight Local Communities’ Fight Against Fossil Fuels (New York Times)

On Monday, several environmental leaders won the Goldman Environmental Prize, which the Goldman Environmental Foundation awards annually to grassroots environmental activists from each of the world’s six geographic regions. This year’s prize comes as environmental advocacy groups, especially indigenous ones, increasingly fight legal battles against companies or government entities that wish to use their land for oil and gas acquisition or coal mining.

Environmental law and protection have become increasingly intertwined with human rights law and the rights of Indigenous peoples, according to Michael Sutton, the foundation’s executive director. This fact comes in tandem with the green transition prompting fossil fuel companies to drill faster for oil and gas before permits are revoked. People living in the areas that are being impacted by this drilling have the right to access information about the proposed project and take legal action against it.

This year’s awardees come from a wide range of perspectives. Nonhle Mbuthuma and Sinegugu Zukulu from South Africa fought to protect coastal communities’ livelihoods against Shell’s plan to conduct seismic surveys for oil and gas. In India, Alok Shukla advocated for the protection of the Hasdeo Aranya forest, which is home to several rare and endangered species, from coal mining, mobilizing massive protests. Murrawah Maroochy Johnson in Australia similarly fought against coal mining on her community’s land. Marcel Gomes from Brazil traced beef supply chains back to illegal deforestation. Teresa Vicente in Spain won legal rights for Europe’s largest saltwater lagoon. And Andrea Vidaurre in the United States advocated for California to limit emissions from freight trucks and trains.

READ  |  Indigenous Partnerships Can Bring Progress in LAC Energy Projects

Fifth Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee on Plastic Pollution Meeting Brings Considerable Progress (The Guardian)

Global plastic production increased from 2 million tons to 348 million tons between 1950 and 2017, and plastic production is expected to double by 2040. An estimated 11 million tons of plastic ends up in the ocean annually, a figure that is expected to triple by 2040. On top of the material’s devastating impact on oceanic and human health, plastic production also drives the climate crisis. By 2050, plastic production is estimated to account for 21–31% of the world’s CO₂ budget that aims to limit global warming to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels, and will be a bigger contributor to climate change than coal-based energy by 2030.

In the face of this plastics crisis, in 2022, countries decided to create a legally binding treaty to cut plastic waste that would address plastics’ full life cycle by 2024. This week, as part of that treaty’s negotiations, the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee on Plastic Pollution met in Ottawa, Canada. At the meeting, Rwanda and Peru proposed a historical proposal to limit plastic production and reduce its harmful impacts, including its immense CO₂ production.

The motion sets out a global plastic polymer reduction target of 40% by 2040 from a 2025 baseline. This plastic reduction target would be similar in structure to the Paris agreement, in that it will be legally binding and will require mandatory reporting by countries on the production, imports, and exports of primary plastic polymers. Rwanda and Peru argue that the target should align with global objectives for a safe circular economy for plastics and goals to limit global warming to 1.5°C.

READ | World’s Nations Commit to Ending Plastic Waste

Indonesian President May Threaten Deforestation Progress (Yale Environment 360)

Indonesia, which holds the third largest surviving area of tropical forests, has seen rates of deforestation fall by almost two-thirds this decade. Simultaneously, the country produces half of the world’s nickel, which is necessary for electric vehicles’ batteries, and ultimately for the green transition. A significant amount of the Indonesian rainforest lies in nickel mining areas, which poses risks for the progress the country has made in reducing deforestation.

On top of the risk nickel mining poses for deforestation, it will also contribute to the country’s CO₂ emissions. In the past, coal mining has largely made Indonesia responsible for 58% of all tropical forest loss. However, nickel mining is quickly gaining ground on coal mining with increasing demand for the mineral. Three-quarters of Indonesian nickel concessions are in forest regions. Further, refining nickel is dirty and energy intensive, mostly using coal power stations. As a result, Indonesia’s emissions increased by 21% in 2022.

These risks are heightened by Indonesia’s new president, Prabowo Subianto, who has pledged to double GDP through mining and industry. Subianto has a complicated history plagued with human rights abuses and environmental issues. Activists argue that external pressure from Western companies is necessary to ensure environmental protection. However, Indonesia has also increasingly become a site for U.S.-China competition, and Subianto has tended to favor Chinese investors. While thus far they have proven to be less concerned with environmental challenges, China also does not wish to fall behind on environmental goals, providing hope that all may not be lost for Indonesia’s forests.

READ | Indonesia: Stop Chopping, Start Learning