Small island states criticise “endless” climate talks at maritime court hearing

Nine small island states have asked the International Tribunal For the Law of the Sea (ITLOS), to clarify  the legal obligations of states in relation to climate change, a precedent which would be highly influential to other courts when ruling on other climate change related cases. In a hearing last week, the group asked the […]

WTO says fragmentation and unilateral environmental rules are a risk to trade

The World Trade Organisation (WTO) has flagged a concern regarding the rise in fragmentation in international trade primarily caused by unilateral environmental measures such as the European Union’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) and the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) in the United States. The body has noted a nine-fold increase in the number of trade […]

Zimbabwe relaxes carbon law to increase profit share for developers

Zimbabwe has recently relaxed recent laws that govern the proceeds from carbon credit projects. The amendment does away with the requirement for developers to relinquish a quarter of their 70% profit share to local communities, according to a statement by the government on 27 September 2023. The state will still keep 30% but it will […]

Indonesian JETP delayed with foreign partners blamed

On 25 September a local Indonesian official said that Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP) discussions relating to the early retirement of coal-fired power stations in the country are being forestalled because western countries are not ready to finance such projects. Challenges have arisen as a result of rising borrowing costs. Banks have also been reluctant […]

Congo argues that carbon credits should be worth more

Carbon credits produced in Africa and utilised by the private sector to offset their emissions should be at least 20 times more expensive than current prices, according to the Democratic Republic of  Congo’s President Felix Tshisekedi and Republic of Congo’s President Denis Sassou Nguesso. A higher price would, they believe, dampen appetite for resource extraction and spur development in poorer countries, […]