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environment

ExxonMobil sues the Netherlands over gas field closure
11-Oct-2024 SOMO
The multinational disagrees with the decision that gas production in the Dutch province of Groningen will be shut down early.
Indigenous women from Ecuador bring concerns on mining abuses, free trade to Parliament Hill
4-Oct-2024 CBC
Delegation to meet with federal leaders in Ottawa amid talks on proposed free trade deal.
Ecuadorian rights defenders
2-Oct-2024 TIRP
Women leaders engaged in dangerous efforts to protect rights and the environment in Ecuador will visit Canada next week to speak out against trade talks aimed at expanding and attracting Canadian investment in resource extraction projects in ecologically vulnerable regions.
Mexico loses phosphate mining lawsuit in controversial arbitration process
27-Sep-2024 Mongabay
Odyssey Marine Exploration, a deep-sea mining company based in Florida, sued Mexico after rejecting environmental permits for a phosphate mining project off the coast of the state of Baja California Sur.
Brazil asks EU to hold off on implementing deforestation law
12-Sep-2024 Euractiv
Brazil asked the European Union not to implement regulations in its deforestation law at the end of the year as scheduled and asked for it to be revised to avoid hurting Brazilian exports.
Serbia’s lithium gamble: Reviving Rio Tinto’s mine amidst protests and economic promises
12-Sep-2024 TNI
In 2021, Rio Tinto filed a notice of dispute related to the government announcement to cancel the Lithium project in the Jadar Valley under the UK-Serbia bilateral investment agreement.
Earth Thrive: Has Rio Tinto initiated arbitration over the Jadar project?
27-Aug-2024 Mining See
Rio Tinto has officially notified the Serbian government about initiating arbitration proceedings concerning the halted Jadar project, under the bilateral investment treaty between the UK and Serbia.
In India’s FTA talks with EU, sustainability a key issue
26-Aug-2024 Hindustan Times
The next round of talks between the two sides is scheduled for September 23-27. This will be the ninth round since talks were relaunched in 2022.
bilaterals.org podcast: Special economic zones & the African Continental Free Trade Area
21-Aug-2024 bilaterals.org & Public Services International
This podcast examines the controversial link between Special Economic Zones (SEZs) and the African Continental Free Trade Area, which promotes the use of SEZs to further liberalise the economy, with potentially dramatic consequences for the people of Africa.
Indonesia, EU reconcile forest data ahead of new rules on deforestation-free trade
12-Aug-2024 Mongabay
The Indonesian government and its European Union counterparts are ironing out differences in their forest and commodity supply chain data ahead of a looming deadline that could shut Indonesian commodities out of the EU market.
Court ruling exempts Colombia from compensating Eco Oro Minerals Corp
17-Jul-2024 Prensa Latina
A court exempts Colombia from paying the Canadian Eco Oro Minerals Corp a compensation for the banning of gold exploitation in the northern Santurban wasteland.
Costa Rica wins arbitration against Canadian miner Infinito Gold
17-Jul-2024 The Tico Times
Costa Rica announced that the international litigation filed by the Canadian mining company Infinito Gold has ended after Costa Rican Justices closed the gold deposit in 2010 due to environmental impact.
Dismissal of $15 billion NAFTA legacy case on Keystone XL pipeline is welcome, but billions in egregious claims still remain
17-Jul-2024 Public Citizen
The World Bank has dismissed Canadian oil company TC Energy’s $15 billion ISDS case against the US sought due to lack of jurisdiction.
Gabriel Resources appeals ICSID ruling on Rosia Montana gold mining project in Romania
9-Jul-2024 Romania-Insider
Canadian company Gabriel Resources filed an appeal against the decision of the Washington Arbitration Court by which Romania won the case in the Roșia Montană gold mining project, requesting its annulment.
How investment treaties undermine the voices of local communities
20-Jun-2024 Erasmus Magazine
Dispute settlements in international investment law protect the rights of companies. However, they suppress the voice of local communities, as Stephanie Triefus found in her PhD research.
The international system that pits foreign investors against indigenous communities
12-Jun-2024 Inside Climate News
Investor-state dispute settlement allows foreign investors to sue governments for billions. A new report highlights this international legal system harms Indigenous Latin Americans.
World Bank tribunal rules against Canadian miner in legal dispute with Colombia
10-Jun-2024 Mining.com
The World Bank’s ICSID ruled in favour of Colombia in a feud with Canada’s Montauk Metals after finding that the mining ban imposed by the Gustavo Petro administration on the Santurbán moor does not violate the Canada-Colombia Free Trade Agreement signed in 2008.
Resisting green colonialism for a just transition
20-May-2024 Global Justice Now
A serious overhaul of how we run the economy and live our lives is needed to tackle the climate crisis – and there are signs that decision makers are recognising the urgent need for a ‘green transition’: a massive shift from fossil fuels to renewable energy systems.
The EU’s critical minerals crusade
16-May-2024 SOMO
The EU is aggressively pursuing critical minerals globally to benefit from the energy transition, securing access via trade agreements and partnerships. Failure to address resource overconsumption risks reinforcing inequalities and intensifying extractivism.
Focus on MSPO during Malaysia-EU free trade talks, says think tank
29-Apr-2024 Free Malaysia Today
A think tank has called for the Malaysian Sustainable Palm Oil (MSPO) standard to be made the first point of dialogue between Malaysia and the European Union when discussions on a Malaysia-EU free trade agreement (FTA) resume.