International Environmental Policy

Almost two-thirds of the heavy rare earths dysprosium and terbium on the global market come from Myanmar. How should Germany and Europe deal with the mining of urgently needed rare earths in the civil war-torn country of Myanmar?

A new study examines how the transition to a circular economy can be made fair globally. Against this background, we evaluate the Clean Industrial Deal presented by the EU Commission in February 2025.

Rights of nature require intercultural dialogue. Indigenous peoples actively advocate for them, but their worldviews and structures often differ from existing legal systems.

Climate-smart mining appears to be a better alternative to traditional mining, known for its destructive nature. By hyphenating ‘climate’ with smart mining, it is a repackaged tool to attract the mineral-rich but developing countries. 

Southeast Asia’s geographical location is blessed with abundant natural resources – minerals, forests, and wildlife. For hundreds of years, these resources have been a source of livelihood and even life for Indigenous peoples, as well as local communities. However, the capitalist perspective of development is rapidly encroaching on the mineral-rich lands of these peoples. 

Civil society open letter to the IPCC raising concerns around the planned Methodology Report on Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR) and Carbon Capture Use & Storage (CCUS) and how it may legitimise unproven technologies and overreliance on CDR and CCUS.

The Rights of Nature (RoN) movement in the UK has been revitalised over recent years, with much of activists’ work focusing on local initiatives for river rights, networking projects as well as alternative, direct approaches.

Rights of Nature are a legal reality in many countries around the world and, since the recognition of the Spanish saltwater lagoon Mar Menor as a legal entity, also in Europe. In light of the ever-worsening ecological crises of our time, the idea of Rights of Nature has been gaining increasing traction in Germany.

A legal revolution is underway: Natural entities are increasingly recognized as rights-holders, not property. The Rights of Nature movement, strong in South America, is gaining momentum in Europe.