This discussion paper, co-authored with the Danish Institute for Human Rights and the Sciences Po Law School Clinic, proposes a new approach to conducting human rights impact assessments (HRIAs) of business operations or projects, which brings together project-affected people, the company, and other stakeholders to jointly design and implement an assessment. The aim of this… read more

The sustainable development goals (SDGs) and the Paris Agreement lay out a global consensus on the need to curb human-induced climate change and to achieve sustainable development. These concepts are linked. The urgency of addressing climate change is critical for global efforts to reduce poverty and advance sustainable development, but also climate-change mitigation must be… read more

Date: December 5, 2016
Location: World Bank Headquarters, Washington DC

In November 2016, CCSI sent a submission to the Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC) regarding its draft revised Environmental and Social Policy Statement (ESPS). CCSI’s input focused on two discrete issues that CCSI has been working on: (1) contract transparency for natural resource and infrastructure projects, and (2) redress for harms in the context of… read more

A conference report on CCSI’s Conference on “Climate Change and Sustainable Investment in Natural Resources: From Consensus to Action” is available here, and a shorter outcome document , which was disseminated at COP22, is available here. These documents summarize the discussions at the eleventh annual Columbia International Investment Conference, which took place on November 2-3, 2016, at Columbia University…. read more

Date: November 2-3, 2016, 8:30am-5:00pm (Nov 2); 8:30am-6:00pm (Nov 3)
Location: Faculty House, Columbia University, New York

By James Morrissey and Nicolas Maennling
October 14, 2016

In this blog post, James Morrissey and Nicolas Maennling discuss a report by Oxfam that revealed significant information. If developed countries bore the full burden of stranding their own assets, the known fossil fuel reserves in developing countries (not including China) could be exploited, and the world would still stand a 50% chance of keeping global temperature rise below 1.5 degrees C.

By Romany Webb
September 22, 2016

In this blog post, Romany Webb explores how developing countries will need to decrease their use of fossil fuels if they are going to meet their Sustainable Development Goals. Over the last century, developed countries have relied heavily on fossil fuels to power their economies, however, in order to hold the increase in global temperature below 2 degrees C, there must be significant cuts in coal, oil, and gas.

By Shay Banerjee and Perrine Toledano
Septemebr 16, 2016

Every year, oil fields around the globe burn, or “flare,” an estimated 3.5 percent of the world’s natural gas supply. Such gas, known as “associated petroleum gas” (APG), is produced alongside oil and must be disposed of during the production process. This flaring, however, causes considerable damage to global atmospheric conditions and human health. Eliminating flaring would reduce CO2 emissions by as much as removing 77 million cars from the road. Moreover, flaring APG wastes a valuable non-renewable energy resource that could otherwise drive positive economic outcomes. If all APG currently subject to flaring were used for power generation, the world would enjoy an additional 750 billion kWh of electricity—more than the entire African continent’s current electricity consumption.

Date: September 14, 2016, 5:30-8:00pm