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Category: Weather

  • MIL-OSI USA: Statement on the Commission’s Status Report in the Climate-Related Disclosure Rules Litigation

    Source: Securities and Exchange Commission

    On April 24, 2025—three months ago—the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit directed the Commission to provide a status update in the ongoing litigation concerning the Climate-Related Disclosure Rules, which the Commission adopted in March of 2024.[1]

    The Court “directed” the Commission to advise whether it “intends to review or reconsider the [R]ules at issue in this case.”[2] And, if the Commission has determined to take no action, the Court ordered the Commission to explain whether it “will adhere to the [R]ules if the petitions for review are denied and, if not, why it will not review or reconsider the [R]ules at this time.”[3]

    The Court’s directive was straightforward; our answer is not.

    The Commission’s Status Report, filed today, states plainly enough that it has no intention of revisiting the Rules at this time.[4] That, however, is where our responsiveness ends.[5] The Status Report goes on to argue that we cannot expound on what the Commission’s future plans might be in the event the rulemaking petitions are denied, because we would be “prejudging” those policy decisions.[6] And, the Status Report explains, any future rulemaking should benefit from a court ruling on our statutory authority.[7]

    We also weigh in on a number of questions that the Court did not ask of us – for example, we opine that there are “no obstacle[s]” to reaching the merits of the case and that a “live controversy” remains.[8]

    This purported response is wholly unresponsive.

    The Court asked us in no uncertain terms “will [the Commission] adhere to the [R]ules if the petitions for review are denied[?]” We did not—but should have—answered that question. The unspoken truth under this Commission is that the answer is “no.” Three of the four current Commissioners have been vocal critics of the Rules.[9] They have also withdrawn the Commission from the defense of the Rules in litigation.[10] The Commission simply does not want to say what we all know to be true by now—it has no intention of allowing the Climate-Related Disclosure Rules to go into effect.

    Once we acknowledge this answer, the rest of the Commission’s arguments fall away. There are no prejudgment issues, because there is nothing to prejudge. And, we do not need the Court to rule on our statutory authority for the Commission to engage in rulemaking. If there is future rulemaking in this space—whether to rescind the Rules or otherwise – that rulemaking may present different legal issues. Whatever those issues may be, and whomever those aggrieved parties may be, they are not now before the Court. Federal courts are not in the business of giving advisory opinions to agencies.

    What is crystal clear, however, is that this Commission is seeking to avoid its legal obligations under the guise of conserving “Commission time and resources.” No matter what, this comes at the expense of judicial resources. As I wrote previously in connection with the Commission’s decision to stop defending these Rules,[11] the Administrative Procedure Act governs the process by which we make and repeal rules. It includes a prescriptive framework for promulgation and rescission. If this Commission wants to rescind, repeal or modify the Rules, which were promulgated by-the-book, then it must do the statutorily-required work. It cannot take the easy way out. It must engage in notice-and-comment rulemaking, with the benefit of economic analysis and a public, transparent process, even if inconvenient or if the Commission has other, more pressing priorities.[12] Indeed, other Commissioners have acknowledged that doing the work required to rescind the rule would be a difficult lift.[13] So, instead, we once again ask the Court to do the work for us. By asking the Court to carry water that we should shoulder ourselves, we do a grave disservice to our already taxed judicial system. This is not good governance.

    The Commission has effectively ignored the Court’s order and thrown the ball back at the Court. The Court should decline to play these games.

    [2] Status Update Order.

    [4] Status Report of the Securities and Exchange Commission in Response to the Court’s April 24, 2025 Order, State of Iowa v. Securities and Exchange Commission, 24-cv-1522 (8th Cir. July 23, 2025) (“Status Report”) at 2 (“The Commission does not intend to review or reconsider the Rules at this time.”).

    [5] These viewpoints do not reflect upon the efforts of the staff in our Office of the General Counsel.

    [6] Status Report at 2.

    [7] Id. at 2, 4, 5.

    [8] Id. at 2, 3.

    [10] See Status Report filed by SEC, State of Iowa v. Securities and Exchange Commission, 24-cv-1522 (8th Cir. Mar. 27, 2025); SEC Press Release No. 2025-58, SEC Votes to End Defense of Climate Disclosure Rules (Mar. 27, 2025) (According to then-Acting Chair Uyeda, “The goal of today’s Commission action and notification to the court is to cease the Commission’s involvement in the defense of the costly and unnecessarily intrusive climate change disclosure rules.”).

    [12] Commissioner Mark T. Uyeda, Remarks at the “SEC Speaks” Conference 2025 (May 19, 2025) (“For the Commission to rescind the climate-related disclosure rule—and address the countless factual findings discussed in that 885-page release—would place a significant strain on the Commission’s resources. This effort would be a difficult lift, and it would potentially take away staff resources needed to advance the regulatory regime with respect to crypto and capital formation.”).

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Climate change: ICJ ruling is a landmark win for children – Save the Children

    Source: Save the Children

    The historic climate change ruling at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) today is a landmark win for child campaigners, acknowledging the adverse impacts of climate change on child rights, and offering children renewed hope, Save the Children said. 
    The Advisory Opinion delivered by the world’s highest court finds that states’ legal obligations to address climate change extend beyond existing climate agreements. It also found that “states must take their obligations under international human rights law into account when implementing their obligations under the climate change treaties and other relevant environmental treaties.” 
    While not legally binding, leading environmental lawyers say the ruling “could become a guiding star for climate policies at all levels of governance”, including how States are held accountable under multiple areas of international law. 
    The Advisory Opinion originated from an extensive campaign led by a group of law students from the Pacific Islands, with strong support from the Republic of Vanuatu [1]. 
    In December last year, Vepaiamele, 16, a child campaigner with Save the Children Vanuatu, travelled to The Hague with the Government of Vanuatu – the only child to attend as part of a government delegation – to speak about the impacts of climate change on the Pacific island nation and call for action. 
    Vepaiamele said today: “This Advisory Opinion is everything I hoped for and I am so happy with this outcome as I know it will pave the way for a safer future for youth like myself and future generations, too.”
    Speaking from The Hague last year , Vepaiamele said: 
    “As a young Ni-Vanuatu girl, I feel the effects of climate change every day of every year. I’ve experienced many cyclones. It can be kind of terrifying sometimes, especially the really strong ones. Every cyclone, our classrooms are destroyed, our homes are flattened to the ground, and hospitals and communication towers are ripped apart. And then there’s also the mental health impacts, and we don’t really talk about it that much, but it can really cause anxiety in children and young people.”
    Human-induced climate change is driving up global temperatures, with the past 10 years the warmest on record, according to the World Meteorological Organization. Children, particularly those affected by inequality and discrimination, bear the brunt of climate change impacts that are already forcing them from their homes, putting food out of reach, damaging schools and increasing risks like child marriage as they are forced out of education and into poverty. 
    Limiting warming temperatures through the rapid phase-out of the use and subsidy of fossil fuels is critical for children’s rights and lives, Save the Children said. 
    Earlier this year, research released by the child rights organisation with the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) found that the difference between global temperature rise of 1.5°C and 2.7°C could see 38 million more children from the 2020 birth cohort face unprecedented lifetime exposure to extreme heatwaves. [2] Save the Children also called for increased climate finance targeted at helping children and their families, child-centred and locally led adaptation and an increase in the participation of children in shaping climate action. 
    Save the Children New Zealand CEO Heather Campbell says, “The ICJ’s opinion strengthens the argument that climate inaction is a form of intergenerational injustice, disproportionately borne by those least responsible and least equipped to adapt.
    “At home in Aotearoa New Zealand, children and their families are experiencing the devastating impacts of extensive flooding and other climate-related emergencies, including Cyclone Gabrielle. Communities across the Nelson Tasman region are still reeling from floods that have destroyed homes and farmland, displaced families and closed schools. 
    “On a recent visit to Solomon Islands, children told us about the impact rising sea levels were having on their communities, including monthly flooding in homes and schools, saline infiltration into fresh water supplies, and crops being destroyed. In other parts of the Pacific, communities are having to constantly rebuild after multiple cyclones in the last few years alone. These are not future scenarios – they are current realities.
    “Save the Children welcomes the finding from the ICJ, and we also urge governments and development agencies to ensure that climate finance reaches those on the frontline of this crisis.
    “Currently, only 2.4% of climate finance from multilateral funding sources is child centred. Even without the Court’s opinion, we know that states must do far more to protect children from the worst impacts of this crisis, including by significantly increasing climate finance to uphold children’s rights and access to health, education and protection.”
    In light of the ICJ’s Advisory Opinion, Save the Children New Zealand is calling on the New Zealand Government to renew its commitment to provide climate finance to help communities recover from climate induced loss and damage as well as working to reduce the country’s carbon emissions.  
    As the world’s leading independent child rights organisation, Save the Children works in about 110 countries, tackling climate change across everything we do. Save the Children supports children and their communities across the Pacific and globally in preventing, preparing for, adapting to, and recovering from both sudden climate disasters and slow onset climate change. We have set up floating schools, rebuilt destroyed homes and provided cash grants to families hit by disasters. 
    We also work to influence governments and other key stakeholders in Aotearoa New Zealand and around the world on climate policies, including at the UNFCCC COP summits, giving children a platform for their voices to be heard. 
    Notes:
    • Multimedia can be found here including Vepaiamele with other young people on Tuesday 22 July, Vepaiamele at the Hague, and general vision of Vanuatu
    [1] The Advisory Opinion is in response to a Pacific-led resolution (A/RES/77/276) to the UN General Assembly adopted by consensus on 29 March 2023. This was the result of an extensive campaign by a group of law students from the University of the South Pacific ( Pacific Islands Students Fighting Climate Change ) with strong support from the Republic of Vanuatu. Save the Children has worked closely with the Pacific Islands Students Fighting Climate Change to ensure the voices of children and young people are incorporated into countries’ written and oral submissions to the Court. As part of her campaigning work, Vepaiamele and other activists met with embassies of high emitting countriesin Vanuatu ahead of the hearing to try and influence their submissions.
    [2] The report found that, for children born in 2020, if global temperature rise is limited to 1.5°C rather than reaching 2.7°C above pre-industrial levels:
    – About 38 million would be spared from facing unprecedented lifetime exposure to heatwaves; o About 8 million would avoid unprecedented lifetime exposure to crop failures; o About 5 million would be spared from unprecedented lifetime exposure to river floods; o About 5 million would avoid unprecedented lifetime exposure to tropical cyclones; o About 2 million would avoid unprecedented lifetime exposure to droughts; o About 1.5 million children would be spared unprecedented lifetime exposure to wildfires.  

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: International Court of Justice climate ruling a powerful tool for holding countries to account – Oxfam

    Source: Oxfam Aotearoa

    The International Court of Justice has ruled that governments must phase out fossil fuels, rapidly reduce emissions, provide remedy to those facing climate damages, and provide climate finance to developing countries.
    Oxfam climate change policy lead Nafkote Dabi said:
    “Oxfam is proud to have supported young climate defenders from the Pacific and elsewhere who bravely took their fight for justice from a classroom in Vanuatu to the world’s highest court. They won the world a tremendous victory today.
    This ruling elevates national climate commitments everywhere by confirming that countries must reduce emissions enough to protect the universal rights to life, food, health and a clean environment. All countries, particularly rich ones, now have to cut their emissions faster and phase out fossil fuels. Rich countries have to increase their financing to Global South countries to help them reduce emissions and protect their people from past and future harm. This is not a wish-list – it is international law.
    We now have a powerful tool for holding countries to account for their obligations, especially in protecting the world’s most marginalised people and future generations of humanity. The ICJ rejected arguments by the likes of the US and UK that governments are bound only by climate treaties such as the Paris Agreement and did not have stronger obligations under international law. This ruling will inject new impetus into negotiations at the COP30 Summit in Brazil this November.”
    Oxfam Aotearoa climate justice lead Nick Henry said:
    “Today’s ruling is a stunning rebuke to the rich countries, including New Zealand, who are failing to stop harm to our climate. It is a victory for a people-powered campaign started by Pacific Island Students Fighting Climate Change, gaining support from Pacific leaders and allies around the world.
    The New Zealand government provided early support to the campaign and co-sponsored the UN resolution that referred the case to the ICJ. But in its submissions to the court, New Zealand argued that human rights law is not relevant to climate change and that governments don’t have climate obligations beyond the existing Paris Agreement.
    The world’s highest court has rejected the New Zealand government’s arguments and ruled that the international treaties on human rights and the environment create binding obligations to prevent harm to the climate.
    This means that New Zealand must do more to reduce emissions and increase funding for climate action in the Pacific.”
    Notes:
    Oxfam has been supporting the Pacific Islands Students Fighting Climate Change’s lawsuit since 2022, joining in advocacy for the UN General Assembly to refer the case to the Court. Oxfam provided a written statement to the ICJ in March 2024 on human rights obligations beyond borders and what this means for climate action. Oxfam also contributed to an expert legal opinion that was referenced in several State submissions, the Maastricht Principles on the Human Rights of Future Generations.

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Greenpeace – World court’s climate ruling a legal warning shot for Luxon

    Source: Greenpeace

    Greenpeace Aotearoa says the world’s highest court has just delivered a wake-up call for Prime Minister Christopher Luxon.
    In a historic climate ruling, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) has confirmed that governments have legal obligations to protect people – both now and in the future – from the worsening impacts of the climate crisis. That includes regulating big polluters like fossil fuel companies and intensive livestock operations.
    “This is a warning shot to Luxon that his Government’s war on nature and the climate comes with consequences,” says Greenpeace spokesperson Amanda Larsson.
    “The Court has made it clear: states must take action to prevent climate harm, no matter where it occurs. They must uphold people’s fundamental right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment – for today’s communities and future generations.”
    The ICJ ruling goes beyond the Paris Agreement, reinforcing that governments have a duty to regulate climate pollution, cooperate internationally, and prevent environmental harm. It strengthens the legal grounds for climate-impacted communities to hold governments accountable.
    Since taking office, the Luxon Government has scrapped or weakened numerous key climate policies. It has:
    • Overturned the ban on offshore oil and gas exploration
    • Pledged to fast-track coal mining
    • Shelved agricultural emissions pricing
    • Exempted the country’s worst climate polluter – intensive dairying – from meaningful accountability
    “Luxon is elevating the profits of polluters above people’s fundamental human rights,” says Larsson. “This ruling puts him – and governments like his – on notice.”
    The dairy industry, led by Fonterra, is New Zealand’s largest climate polluter. Yet under pressure from lobby groups, the Government has rolled back environmental safeguards and is now considering weakening methane targets – despite clear advice from the Climate Change Commission that action on methane must be strengthened.
    Earlier this year, Luxon received a letter authored by dozens of international climate scientists accusing him of ignoring scientific evidence on methane and urging him to follow the Climate Commission’s advice to strengthen New Zealand’s methane target. The letter was featured on the front page of the Financial Times.
    “New Zealand is the world’s largest dairy exporter and a major player in the global livestock industry,” says Larsson.
    “How New Zealand addresses livestock emissions sets an important precedent for the rest of the world. If Luxon guts the methane target, New Zealand risks breaching the Paris Agreement and, by extension, its trade agreements with partners like the UK and EU.”
    The historic ICJ ruling is a result of action taken in 2019 by 27 law students from The University of the South Pacific. As the Pacific Islands Students Fighting Climate Change, they campaigned for the ICJ to issue an Advisory Opinion on the responsibilities of States in respect to climate change. The resolution, put forward by Vanuatu alongside a global alliance of States, passed the United Nations General Assembly unanimously in March 2023, co-sponsored by over 130 countries.
    “As this ruling shows, the courts are becoming an increasingly important venue for climate justice – because governments like ours are failing to protect people and the planet. And when that happens, people will step up to defend their future.”

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Smoke and Wildfires Impacting Road Safety Across Oregon

    Source: US State of Oregon

    strong>SALEM, Ore. – As wildfires continue to impact parts of Oregon, Governor Tina Kotek has declared a State of Emergency, effective July 16, 2025, through December 31, 2025. Travelers are urged to use extra caution on the roads and know the conditions in the areas they are traveling to. Smoke can severely reduce visibility and create dangerous driving conditions. In some areas, wildfire activity has led to road closures or detours. The Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT), Oregon Department of Emergency Management (OEM), and Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) are working together to keep Oregonians safe—and they’re asking the public to do their part before hitting the road.

    “If you’re planning a road trip this summer, make sure your car is ready,” OEM spokesperson, Erin Zysett said. “Start your trip with a full tank of gas or electric charge, check your tires and air conditioner, and know your route. Conditions can change quickly during wildfire season.”

    OEM urges travelers to carry a well-stocked emergency car kit in case they become stranded or delayed. Your kit should include:

    • Jumper cables
    • Flares or a reflective triangle
    • Flashlight and extra batteries
    • First aid kit
    • Blanket
    • Map or printed directions
    • Cell phone and car charger
    • Backup power supply
    • Hand-crank Weather Radio
    • N95 mask (to help filter smoky air)
    • Plastic sheeting and duct tape (to shelter in place if needed)
    • Wet wipes, garbage bags, and toilet paper for sanitation
    • Whistle to signal for help
    • Water and non-perishable snacks
    • Cash or traveler’s checks
    • Portable shovel

    “Smoke affects visibility as well as air quality and can lead to sudden changes in driving conditions,” said Chris Varley, DEQ Spokesperson. “If visibility is poor or the air is hazardous, consider delaying your trip. Your safety comes first. If you must drive in smokey conditions, close all the windows and direct the car’s air system to recirculate to help reduce the amount of smoke entering the car.”

    Before You Go:

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-Evening Report: As seas rise and fish decline, this Fijian village is finding new ways to adapt

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Celia McMichael, Professor in Geography, The University of Melbourne

    Celia McMichael, CC BY-NC-ND

    In the village of Nagigi, Fiji, the ocean isn’t just a resource – it’s part of the community’s identity. But in recent years, villagers have seen the sea behave differently. Tides are pushing inland. Once abundant, fish are now harder to find. Sandy beaches and coconut trees have been washed away.

    Like many coastal communities, including those across the Pacific Islands region, this village is now under real pressure from climate change and declining fish stocks. Methods of fishing are no longer guaranteed, while extreme weather and coastal erosion threaten homes and land. As one villager told us:

    we can’t find fish easily, not compared to previous times […] some fish species we used to see before are no longer around.

    When stories like this get publicity, they’re often framed as a story of loss. Pacific Islanders can be portrayed as passive victims of climate change.

    But Nagigi’s experience isn’t just about vulnerability. As our new research shows, it’s about the actions people are taking to cope with the changes already here. In response to falling fish numbers and to diversify livelihoods, women leaders launched a new aquaculture project, and they have replanted mangroves to slow the advance of the sea.

    Adaptation is uneven. Many people don’t want to or can’t leave their homes. But as climate change intensifies, change will be unavoidable. Nagigi’s experience points to the importance of communities working collectively to respond to threats.

    Unwelcome change is here

    The communities we focus on, Nagigi village (population 630) and Bia-I-Cake settlement (population 60), are located on Savusavu Bay in Vanua Levu, Fiji’s second largest island. Fishing and marine resources are central to their livelihoods and food security.

    In 2021 and 2023, we ran group discussions (known as talanoa) and interviews to find out about changes seen and adaptations made.

    Nagigi residents have noticed unwelcome changes in recent years. As one woman told us:

    sometimes the sea is coming further onto the land, so there’s a lot of sea intrusion into the plantations, flooding even on land where it never used to be

    Tides are pushing ashore in Nagigi, threatening infrastructure.
    Celia McMichael, CC BY-NC-ND

    In 2016, the devastating Tropical Cyclone Winston destroyed homes and forced some Nagigi residents to move inland to customary mataqali land owned by their clan.

    As one resident said:

    our relocation was smooth because […] we just moved to our own land, our mataqali land.

    But some residents didn’t have access to this land, while others weren’t willing to move away from the coast. One man told us:

    leave us here. I think if I don’t smell or hear the ocean for one day I would be devastated.

    Adaptation is happening

    One striking aspect of adaptation in Nagigi has been the leadership of women, particularly in the small Bia-I-Cake settlement.

    In recent years, the Bia-I-Cake Women’s Cooperative has launched a small-scale aquaculture project to farm tilapia and carp to tackle falling fish stocks in the ocean, tackle rising food insecurity and create new livelihoods.

    Women in the cooperative have built fish ponds, learned how to rear fish to a good size and began selling the fish, including by live streaming the sale. The project was supported by a small grant from the United Nations Development Programme and the Women’s Fund Fiji.

    Recently, the cooperative’s women have moved into mangrove replanting to slow coastal erosion and built a greenhouse to farm new crops.

    As one woman told us, these efforts show women “have the capacity to build a sustainable, secure and thriving community”.

    The community’s responses draw on traditional social structures and values, such as respect for Vanua – the Fijian and Pacific concept of how land, sea, people, customs and spiritual beliefs are interconnected – as well as stewardship of natural resources and collective decision-making through clans and elders, both women and men.

    Nagigi residents have moved to temporarily close some customary fishing grounds to give fish populations a chance to recover. The village is also considering declaring a locally-managed marine area (known as a tabu). This is a response to climate impacts as well as damage to reefs, pollution and overfishing.

    For generations, village residents have protected local ecosystems which in turn support the village. But what is new is how these practices are being strengthened and formalised to respond to new challenges.

    A women’s cooperative have built aquaculture ponds to raise and sell fish.
    Celia McMichael, CC BY-NC-ND

    Adaptation is uneven

    While adaptation is producing some successes, it is unevenly spread. Not everyone has access to customary land for relocation and not every household can afford to rebuild damaged homes.

    What Nagigi teaches us, though, is the importance of local adaptation. Villagers have demonstrated how a community can anticipate risks, respond to change and threats, recover from damage and take advantage of new opportunities.

    Small communities are not just passive sites of loss. They are collectives of strength, agency and ingenuity. As adaptation efforts scale up across the Pacific, it is important to recognise and support local initiatives such as those in Nagigi.

    Sharing effective adaptation methods can give ideas and hope to other communities under real pressure from climate change and other threats.

    Many communities are doing their best to adapt often undertaking community-led adaptation, even despite the limited access Pacific nations have to global climate finance.

    Nagigi’s example shows unwelcome climatic and environmental changes are already arriving. But it’s also about finding ways to live well amid uncertainty and escalating risk by using place, tradition and community.

    The authors acknowledge the support of the people of Nagigi and Bia-I-Cake, and especially the Bia-I-Cake Women’s Cooperative, for sharing their time and insights.

    Celia McMichael receives funding from the Australian Research Council (ARC).

    Merewalesi Yee does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

    – ref. As seas rise and fish decline, this Fijian village is finding new ways to adapt – https://theconversation.com/as-seas-rise-and-fish-decline-this-fijian-village-is-finding-new-ways-to-adapt-261573

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: United Nations Board of Auditors Holds Seventy-Ninth Regular Session, 22-23 July at UN Headquarters, New York

    Source: United Nations General Assembly and Security Council

    The General Assembly established the United Nations Board of Auditors in 1946 as an important mechanism to promote accountability and transparency in the United Nations.  The Board audits the accounts of the United Nations Organization and its funds and programmes and reports its findings and recommendations to the General Assembly, through the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions (ACABQ), and other governing bodies.  The Board has three members, who are jointly responsible for the audit.

    The Board held its seventy-ninth regular session in New York on 22 and 23 July.  The session was chaired by Pierre Moscovici, First President of the French Cour des comptes.  Together with Mr. Moscovici, Hou Kai, Auditor-General of the National Audit Office of China, and Vital do Rêgo Filho, President of the Brazilian Federal Court of Accounts, collectively discussed findings and audit opinions.

    During the session the Board met with the Secretary-General and the Deputy Secretary-General to exchange on cross-cutting issues.

    Through its work, the Board provides independent assurance to Member States and other stakeholders regarding proper use of the resources of the United Nations entities.  It reports on financial matters, as well as on regularity and performance issues.  It plays a significant role in assisting the United Nations to improve its operations and internal control systems.  The findings and recommendations of the Board have led to continuous systematic improvements in the functioning of the United Nations.

    This year the Board audited the financial statements and reviewed the operations of 18 organizations and submitted the reports to the General Assembly.  All the audited entities received unqualified opinions.  Key trends and cross-entity issues have been gathered in the Board’s Concise Summary report, which focused specifically on inter-agency cooperation as a way to improve cost effectiveness.  The Board further produced three reports for submission to other governing bodies.  More detailed information about the Board’s findings can be found in the individual reports published on the Board’s website (http://www.un.org/en/auditors/board/).

    ANNEX

    List of Board Reports

    Reports Submitted to General Assembly

    France

    1. United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)
    2. United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF)
    3. United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees – (UNHCR)
    4. Concise summary of findings and conclusions

    China

    5. United Nations, Vol.1
    6. International Trade Centre (ITC)
    7. United Nations Office for Projects Services (UNOPS)
    8. United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA)
    9. United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)
    10. United Nations Human Settlement Fund (UN-Habitat)

    Brazil

    11. United Nations University (UNU)
    12. United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR)
    13. United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA)
    14. United Nations Drug Control Programme (UNODC)
    15. United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and Empowerment of Women (UN-Women)
    16. International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals (IRMCT)
    17. United Nations Joint Staff Pension Fund
    18. United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF)

    Reports Submitted to Other Governing Bodies

    France

    19. United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change
    20. United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification

    China

    21. UNRWA Staff Provident Fund

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: Global: International Court of Justice’s landmark opinion bolsters fight for climate justice and accountability  

    Source: Amnesty International –

    Reacting to the International Court of Justice’s (ICJ) first Advisory Opinion clarifying the obligations of states in respect of climate change, Mandi Mudarikwa, Head of Strategic Litigation at Amnesty International, said: 

    “Today’s opinion is a landmark moment for climate justice and accountability. The ICJ made clear that the full enjoyment of human rights cannot be ensured without protection of the climate system and other parts of the environment. The world’s highest court stressed that states have a duty to act now, regulate the activities of private actors and cooperate to protect current and future generations and ecosystems from the worsening impacts of human induced climate change. This unprecedented opinion will bolster the hundreds of ongoing and upcoming climate litigation cases around the world, where people seek justice for the livelihoods that have been snatched away and the damage caused by major polluters.  

    Today’s opinion is a landmark moment for climate justice and accountability. The ICJ made clear that the full enjoyment of human rights cannot be ensured without protection of the climate system and other parts of the environment.

    Mandi Mudarikwa, Head of Strategic Litigation, Amnesty International

    Candy Ofime, Researcher and Legal Advisor in the Climate Justice Team at Amnesty International, said: 

    “In light of the polluters pay principle, the ICJ established that states’ failure to take action to protect the climate system— including through continued fossil fuel production, licencing or the provision of subsidies to fossil fuel companies—may constitute an internationally wrongful act. Despite big polluters’ suggestion to the contrary, the ICJ recognized that it is scientifically possible to determine each state’s contribution to the climate crisis, taking into account current and cumulative emissions. States, particularly historically high greenhouse gas emitters, must take responsibility and repair the climate harms they have caused and provide guarantees of non-repetition.”  

    Following in the footsteps of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights, the ICJ reaffirmed that climate change can lead to the forced displacement of people seeking safety, including across borders, emphasizing that in such circumstances, non-refoulement protections applies. 

    The ICJ recognized that climate change constitutes “an existential problem of planetary proportions that imperils all forms of life and the very health of our planet”. It stressed that a complete solution to this “life-daunting” and “self-inflicted” crisis does not only require contribution of all fields of knowledge but also “human will, at individual, social and political levels to change our current way of life to secure a future for ourselves and those who are yet to come.” Delivering a message to the climate justice movement worldwide, the ICJ expressed “hope that its conclusions would inform and guide social and political action to address the ongoing climate crisis.”  

    Amnesty International expresses the utmost gratitude to the Pacific Islands students whose innovative and inspiring global advocacy was critical in making today a reality.   

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: World Court issues advisory opinion on climate change

    Source: United Nations 2

    The UN’s principal judicial body ruled that States have an obligation to protect the environment from greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and act with due diligence and cooperation to fulfill this obligation.  

    This includes the obligation under the Paris Agreement on climate change to limit global warming to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels.  

    The Court further ruled that if States breach these obligations, they incur legal responsibility and may be required to cease the wrongful conduct, offer guarantees of non-repetition and make full reparation depending on the circumstances. 

    This decision comes a day after Secretary-General António Guterres delivered a special address on the shift to renewable energy. Mr. Guterres welcomed this decision in a video announcement.

    Reasoning of the Court

    The Court used Member States’ commitments to both environmental and human rights treaties to justify this decision.  

    Firstly, Member States are parties to a variety of environmental treaties – including ozone layer treaties, the Biodiversity Convention, the Kyoto Protocol, the Paris Agreement, and many more – which oblige them to protect the environment for people worldwide and in future generations.  

    But also, because “a clean, healthy and sustainable environment is a precondition for the enjoyment of many human rights,” since Member States are parties to numerous human rights treaties – including the UN’s Universal Declaration of Human Rights – they are required to guarantee the enjoyment of such rights by addressing climate change.  

    Case background

    In September 2021, the Pacific Island state of Vanuatu announced that it would seek an advisory opinion from the court on climate change. This initiative was inspired by the youth group Pacific Island Students Fighting Climate Change, which underscored the need to act to address climate change, particularly in small island states.

    After the country lobbied other UN Member States to support this initiative in the General Assembly, on 29 March 2023, it adopted a resolution requesting an advisory opinion from the ICJ on two questions: (1) What are the obligations of States under international law to ensure the protection of the environment, and (2) What are the legal consequences for states under these obligations when they cause harm to the environment?

    The UN Charter allows the General Assembly or the Security Council to request the ICJ to provide an advisory opinion. Even though advisory opinions are not binding, they carry significant legal and moral authority and help clarify and develop international law by defining States’ legal obligations.

    This is the largest case ever seen by the ICJ, as seen by the number of written statements (91) and states that participated in oral proceedings (97).

    The ‘world court’

    The ICJ, informally known as the “world court”, settles legal disputes between UN Member States and gives advisory opinions on legal questions that have been referred to it by UN organs and agencies.

    It is one of the six main organs of the UN – alongside the General Assembly, the Security Council, the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), the Trusteeship Council, and the Secretariat – and is the only one not based in New York. 

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: REP LIEU INTRODUCES BIPARTISAN BILL TO STRENGTHEN CLEAN ENERGY INFRASTRUCTURE FOR US TERRITORIES

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Ted Lieu (33 District of California)

    WASHINGTON – Today, Congressman Ted W. Lieu (D-Los Angeles County) announced the reintroduction of the Renewable Energy for U.S. Territories Act, along with Congresswoman Stacey Plaskett (D-Virgin Islands), Congressman James Moylan (R-Guam), and Congressman Pablo Hernández (D-Puerto Rico). The bill creates an energy grant program for U.S. territories to strengthen and invest in renewable energy, energy efficiency, energy storage, smart grids and micro grids, and training for local residents. These grants would be awarded to non-profit organizations and the Department of Energy’s National Laboratories would be directed to offer technical assistance.

    “Extreme weather events are increasing in frequency and cost because of climate change,” said Congressman Lieu. “Climate change is here, and we need resilient infrastructure that can handle what is to come. Over the past decade, our U.S. territories have been devastated by some of the worst extreme weather events, exemplifying the consequences of critical infrastructure failure. I’m reintroducing this bipartisan bill with Congresswoman Plaskett, Congressman Moylan, and Congressman Hernández to strengthen our U.S. territories’ energy infrastructure and meet the urgency of the climate crisis.”

    “I am proud to co-lead this essential legislation with my colleagues,” said Congresswoman Plaskett. “Virgin Islanders experience the dangers of maintaining an aging energy infrastructure during hurricane season as threats mount and compound with each passing year. Years of underfunding have left our energy systems vulnerable, making the transition to resilient renewable energy not just an opportunity, but a necessity. The Renewable Energy for U.S. Territories Act would provide crucial resources to build hardened, clean energy infrastructure that can withstand increasingly severe storms. For island territories like ours, Puerto Rico and other U.S. territories and non-contiguous states, reliable renewable energy is not just about climate goals—it’s about economic survival and ensuring our communities have power when they need it most. Investing in this transition today protects our resources and resilience for future generations.”

    “Typhoon Mawar was a wake-up call for Guam. It exposed just how vulnerable our energy systems are, and how high the stakes can be when they fail,” said Congressman Moylan. “We need solutions that can withstand the next storm. That means building smarter, more resilient systems that keep the lights on when we need them most and investing in our workforce, so our people have the tools and training to operate and sustain them locally. I’m grateful to Congressman Lieu for his leadership, and proud to co-lead this bipartisan legislation that puts Guam and every U.S. territory on a path to stronger, cleaner, and more secure energy infrastructure.”

    “Puerto Rico has endured hurricanes, floods, and chronic blackouts that leave too many, especially in rural areas, in the dark,” said Congressman Hernández. “We need power infrastructure that is resilient, stable, and reliable for our homes, hospitals, schools, and businesses. This bill moves us beyond short-term fixes and toward lasting solutions that are clean and locally driven. I’m proud to co-lead this bipartisan effort to ensure that Puerto Rico has the infrastructure, training, and tools to build an energy system that truly serves our communities.”

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    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Canada: Protecting the right to a healthy environment under the modernized Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999 and enhancing chemicals management

    Source: Government of Canada News

    Recent amendments of the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999 (CEPA) required the Government of Canada to develop a framework for the right to a healthy environment under CEPA. They also required the Government to publish a plan to address chemical substances and to guide efforts to replace, reduce, or refine vertebrate animal testing. The Government delivered on these commitments by publishing the Implementation Framework for the Right to a Healthy Environment under CEPA; the Plan of Priorities; and the Strategy to Replace, Reduce, or Refine Vertebrate Animal Testing.

    The Right to a Healthy Environment under CEPA

    The Implementation Framework elaborates on the meaning of the Right to a Healthy Environment (the Right) under CEPA. It provides guidance for CEPA decision-makers on how to consider the Right in the administration of CEPA.

    As per the Framework, the Right to a Healthy Environment under CEPA includes substantive and procedural elements. The substantive elements build on the definition of a healthy environment and include the right of every individual in Canada to live in an environment that is protected from harmful substances, pollutants, and waste; and where actions under CEPA contribute to clean and healthy air and water, a sustainable climate, and healthy ecosystems and biodiversity. The procedural elements of the Right include access to information and participation in decision-making.

    The Framework elaborates on three new principles, namely environmental justice, intergenerational equity, and non-regression and describes how they will be considered in the administration of the Act to fulfil the duty to uphold these principles.

    Additionally, the framework elaborates on how respect for Indigenous rights informs CEPA decision-making and recognizes the role of Indigenous knowledge in informing decisions about protecting the environment and human health. In collaboration with Indigenous peoples, guidance on bridging, braiding, and weaving Indigenous knowledge with western science will be developed to support CEPA decision-makers.

    The Framework also describes five of the relevant factors—environmental, scientific, social, health, and economic—that can be considered in interpreting and applying the Right and in determining the reasonable limits to which it is subject.

    In the administration of CEPA, the Government of Canada will aim to fulfill its duty of protecting the right to a healthy environment, as it relates to the substantive elements, through consideration of the procedural elements, CEPA principles, and relevant factors described above, recognizing the Right is subject to reasonable limits.

    The Government of Canada engaged with the public, Indigenous peoples, non-governmental organizations, and industry stakeholders during consultations in the spring and fall of 2024 to help inform the development of the Implementation Framework.

    A new web portal offers more information on actions and decisions made under CEPA and gives the public an opportunity to provide input.

    A transition period for the implementation of the Framework is in place to continue to advance timely CEPA decisions and actions. This will prevent negative impacts on the environment and human health while the Right to a Healthy Environment is being fully integrated into the administration of the Act.

    Plan of Priorities

    The Plan of Priorities outlines upcoming priorities to address substances to protect the health of people in Canada and the environment. It includes a list of more than 30 substances and substance groups (comprising approximately 500 chemicals) prioritized for assessment and includes new or expanded activities to help assess, control, and manage risks posed by substances.

    In selecting and prioritizing these substances, the Plan took into account key considerations, including:

    • substances that are hazardous to human health and/or the environment, including carcinogens, mutagens, and reproductive toxicants, as well as endocrine disrupting substances
    • substances that are impacting populations or environments that may be at increased risk, due to either greater exposure or greater susceptibility
    • substances with the potential to contribute to cumulative risks
    • very hazardous substances that are capable of long-range transport
    • substances with known hazardous properties that are used in products available to consumers
    • potential substitutes for substances with known toxicity

    The input and feedback received during the public consultation on the Proposed Plan of Priorities in the fall of 2024 was used to help refine the current Plan.

    Moving forward, the Plan must be reviewed every eight years. The list of substances prioritized for assessment may also be amended from time to time, based on, for example, the emergence of new science, or through the new public request for assessment mechanism. Amendments to the Plan will be publicly communicated and consulted on.

    Through implementation of the Plan of Priorities and the administration of chemicals management, the Government commits to upholding the principle of environmental justice and protecting the right to a healthy environment provided for in CEPA. Stakeholders and the public will be invited to participate in public consultations as the Plan is implemented.

    Reducing reliance on vertebrate animal testing

    The modernized CEPA recognizes the need to replace, reduce, or refine the use of vertebrate animal testing when assessing the potential harms that substances may pose to human health and the environment.

    As part of the Plan of Priorities, Health Canada and Environment and Climate Change Canada have developed a strategy to guide efforts to replace, reduce, or refine vertebrate animal toxicity testing. This strategy builds on:

    • the major milestone announced by Health Canada in June 2023 regarding the end of cosmetic animal testing in Canada under the Food and Drugs Act
    • the work underway to amend the New Substances Notification Regulations (NSNR) under CEPA to integrate greater flexibility to include alternative methods to vertebrate animal toxicity testing

    This strategy considers input and feedback received during the public consultations on the related notice of intent, which closed in January 2024, and the draft strategy, which closed in November 2024.

    The strategy is intended to be flexible. Its implementation will reflect and keep pace with emerging science and technology, including ongoing engagement with people living in Canada, Indigenous partners, stakeholders, and collaborations with national and international partners.

    MIL OSI Canada News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Hinson Introduces the Save Our Bacon Act to Block California’s Radical Prop 12, Protect Interstate Commerce

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Ashley Hinson (IA-01)

    Bill ensures all Americans can continue to enjoy Iowa Ag Products & blocks blue-state bacon bans

    Washington, D.C. — Today, Congresswoman Ashley Hinson (IA-02) introduced the Save Our Bacon Act to protect access to interstate commerce for Iowa family farmers and lower grocery prices for consumers. California and Massachusetts have proposed arbitrary mandates on production practices for farmers in other states. The Save Our Bacon Act would alleviate this overregulation by prohibiting state and local governments from interfering with the production of livestock in other states. 

    “California’s Proposition 12 and Massachusetts’ Question 3 pose a major threat to family farms and food security—both in Iowa and across the country. The Save Our Bacon Act reaffirms livestock producers’ right to sell their products across state lines, without interference from arbitrary mandates. This legislation will stop out-of-touch activists—who don’t know the first thing about farming—from dictating how Iowa farmers do their job.

    “Since day one in Congress, I’ve fought to keep food affordable and protect local producers. Under the Trump Administration, rural America will continue to be at the forefront of policy conversations that impact producers’ ability to feed and fuel the world—and there will be no bacon ban on my watch.” – Congresswoman Ashley Hinson

    “With Proposition 12, California has set out-of-touch, arbitrary requirements for how producers should operate their farming businesses. California activists now claim to know what’s best for the producers who have raised livestock from generation to generation. The Save Our Bacon Act will allow Iowa’s farmers to continue doing what they do best – feeding our country and the world.” – Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds

    “California needs to keep its hands off our bacon. No other state should dictate how Iowans farm, let alone California’s bureaucrats. The Save Our Bacon Act stops California’s overreach, protects hog farmers, and lets states like Iowa regulate how their own farmers raise livestock. I want to thank Representative Hinson for her work on this important legislation, and I urge Congress to pass it and stand up for livestock producers across the nation.” – Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird
     
    “I applaud Congresswoman Hinson for introducing legislation to address the overreach of California’s Prop 12 and restore robust interstate commerce. As the nation’s leading pork-producing state, Iowa plays a critical role in maintaining the safest, most abundant, and most affordable food supply in the world. Allowing states like California to dictate farming practices only creates a patchwork of requirements that drive up production costs and food prices for consumers. This important legislation, which previously earned bipartisan support in the House Agriculture Committee’s passage of last year’s Farm Bill, is essential to safeguarding Iowa’s agriculture and preventing any single state from setting a precedent that undermines the foundation of our food supply. This legislation would protect Iowa’s farmers from burdensome out-of-state regulations that threaten our rural economies and communities, and I urge the House and Senate to send this legislation to President Trump for his signature.” – Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig
     
    “We sincerely appreciate Representative Hinson for consistently engaging with family farmers and championing legislation that provides the certainty we need to pass along our farms to the next generation. Without legislation to shield America’s 60,000+ pork-producing family farms from heavy-handed, multi-state regulations, many producers otherwise would be faced with business-crushing decisions.” – National Pork Producers Council President Duane Stateler, a pork producer from McComb, Ohio
      
    “We appreciate Rep. Hinson’s leadership in fighting to protect Iowa pig farmers, who work hard every day to care for their animals and produce safe, high-quality pork. The Supreme Court made it clear the best option is for Congress to address California’s Prop 12 to prevent a patchwork of conflicting state regulations. Since Prop 12 took effect, the law has negatively impacted both consumers and producers. We urge Congress to act this year and support Rep. Hinson’s efforts to stop this burdensome mandate.” – Aaron Juergens, a pig farmer from Carroll County who serves as president of the Iowa Pork Producers Association. 
     
    “Iowa Farm Bureau members are thankful for Rep. Hinson’s unwavering support for Iowa agriculture and being a champion for fair interstate commerce through the introduction of the Save Our Bacon Act. When states enact laws that restrict or ban the sale of any type of goods from other states, they hinder market access for both farmers and businesses. This creates a negative ripple effect, as these entities struggle with arbitrary business standards and increased costs. Farm families and consumers are grappling with record-high prices, and without congressional action to strengthen the Interstate Commerce Clause, consumers will face fewer choices and higher costs at the grocery store.” – Iowa Farm Bureau Federation

    Background: 

    • In 2018, California passed Proposition 12, which prohibits the sale of certain meat and poultry products unless they are produced in compliance with the state’s arbitrary animal housing requirements.
    • In May 2023, the US Supreme Court upheld Proposition 12 in a 5 – 4 decision, with the Court noting that Congress has the authority to determine how states may interfere with interstate commerce.
    • California makes up nearly 15% of the national market for pork, leading many Iowa livestock producers to choose between complying with another state’s mandate and losing access to a major market for their products. Similar state-level mandates – such as Massachusetts’ Question 3 – create further uncertainty for livestock producers and risk an unworkable patchwork of state regulations for American farmers.  
    • Research from economists has shown that mandates like Prop 12 come at a significant cost to both producers and consumers. Following the implementation of Prop 12, the cost per pound of pork loin in California increased by 41%. Estimates also show that pork producers face costs of up to $4,000 per sow to comply with California’s arbitrary mandate.
    • Rep. Hinson has been a tireless champion for Iowa pork producers against this overreach.   
      • In December 2023, Rep. Hinson testified before the House Agriculture Committee to share stories from farmers in Iowa about the negative impact that mandates like Prop 12 would have on their operation.
      • In a recent House Appropriations Committee hearing, Hinson asked USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins about the potential consequences of laws like Prop 12. Secretary Rollins called mandates like Prop 12 “unsustainable.”
    • On July 9, the Trump Administration’s Department of Justice filed a lawsuit against the State of California over state laws that have caused grocery prices to skyrocket, including Prop 12.

    This bill was introduced with Representatives Feenstra, Nunn, Miller-Meeks, Sam Graves, Rouzer, Murphy, Messmer, Adrian Smith, Flood, LaMalfa, Alford, Dusty Johnson, Bost, Newhouse, Mark Harris, Finstad, Wied, and Rose.

    The bill text can be found here. Click here to read exclusive reporting by Bloomberg News. 

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    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Canada: 3rd Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors Meeting

    Source: Government of Canada News

    Statement

    July 18, 2025

    We, the G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors (FMCBG), met on 17 and 18 July 2025, in Durban, South Africa. Under the G20 South African Presidency’s “Solidarity, Equality and Sustainability” theme, we committed to international policy cooperation to further promote global prosperity and address key shared challenges.

    Global Economy

    The global economy is facing heightened uncertainty and complex challenges, including ongoing wars and conflicts, geopolitical and trade tensions, disruptions to global supply chains, high debt levels, and frequent extreme weather events and natural disasters, which impact economic growth, financial and price stability. 

    In light of high public debt and fiscal pressures, we recognise the need to raise long-term growth potential by pursuing growth-oriented macroeconomic policies, while building fiscal buffers, ensuring fiscal sustainability, encouraging public and private investments and undertaking productivity-enhancing reforms. Structural reforms are essential for generating strong economic growth and creating more and better jobs. All excessive imbalances should be further analysed by the IMF and, if necessary and, without discrimination, addressed through country-specific reforms and multilateral coordination, in a way that contributes to an open global economy and without compromising sustainable global growth. We reaffirm our April 2021 exchange rate commitment.

    Central banks are strongly committed to ensuring price stability, consistent with their respective mandates, and will continue to adjust their policies in a data-dependent manner. Central bank independence is crucial to achieving this goal. 
     
    We emphasise the importance of strengthening multilateral cooperation to address existing and emerging risks to the global economy. We will continue to pursue efforts that advance prosperity and recognise the importance of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) to advance trade issues, and acknowledge the agreed upon rules in the WTO as an integral part of the global trading system. We recognise the WTO has challenges and needs meaningful, necessary, and comprehensive reform to improve all its functions, through innovative approaches, to be more relevant and responsive in light of today’s realities.

    We note the progress on the priorities of the Framework Working Group and look forward to the respective outcomes.  

    International Financial Architecture

    The Multilateral Development Banks (MDBs) are implementing the G20 MDB Roadmap and the recommendations from the Capital Adequacy Framework (CAF) Report. We acknowledge the progress of MDBs and the IFA Working Group in developing the Monitoring and Reporting Framework, and expect to receive the inaugural report in October. We further acknowledge CAF’s potential to help MDBs more efficiently utilise existing resources, share more risk with the private sector and utilise new instruments to increase lending capacity over the next decade. We also welcome the collaboration on blended finance among the International Finance Corporation and other MDBs. We look forward to the outcome of the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development’s 2025 Shareholding Review, in line with the Lima Shareholding principles.

    We support the 17th replenishment of the African Development Fund. We acknowledge the strategic importance of an enhanced G20 partnership with African economies, including through strengthening the G20 Compact with Africa, and welcome the Presidency’s side event on Mobilising G20 Investment for Sustainable Growth in Africa. We welcome the work initiated by the Presidency on the impediments to growth and development in Africa.

    We are committed to addressing debt vulnerabilities in low- and middle-income countries in an effective, comprehensive and systematic manner. To this end, we reaffirm our commitment to further strengthen the implementation of the G20 Common Framework (CF) in a predictable, timely, orderly, and coordinated manner. We endorse the G20 note on lessons learned from initial CF cases and the document outlining debt treatment steps. We welcome that the fact sheets on CF cases are now available on the G20 and Paris Club websites to enhance information sharing. We welcome the agreement on the Memorandum of Understanding on a debt treatment between Ethiopia and its Official Creditors Committee. We furthermore call for enhanced debt transparency from all stakeholders, including private creditors.

    We urge the international community to support vulnerable countries whose debt is sustainable but are facing liquidity challenges, and encourage the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank to continue their work on feasible options to support these countries, which should be country-specific and voluntary.

    We acknowledge the G20 note on Special Drawing Rights (SDR) channelling. We note the achievement of exceeding USD 100 billion in voluntary channelling of SDRs or equivalent contributions for countries in need, and the transfer to the Poverty Reduction and Growth Trust and the Resilience and Sustainability Trust. We urge the swift delivery of pending pledges and encourage countries that are willing and legally able to explore channelling SDRs to MDBs while respecting the reserve asset status of the resulting SDR-denominated claims and ensuring their liquidity.

    We reaffirm our commitment to a strong, quota-based, and adequately resourced IMF at the centre of the Global Financial Safety Net. We have advanced the domestic approvals for our consent to the quota increase under the 16th General Review of Quotas, and we look forward to finalising this process with no further delay.  We acknowledge the importance of realignment in quota shares to better reflect members’ relative positions in the world economy while protecting the quota shares of the poorest members. We acknowledge, however, that building consensus among members on quota and governance reforms will require progress in stages.   We support the call for the IMF Executive Board to develop a set of principles guiding future discussions on IMF quotas and governance by the 2026 Spring meetings in line with the Diriyah Declaration.

    We underscore the need for enhancing the representation and voice of developing countries in decision-making in MDBs and other international economic and financial institutions. In that context, we welcome the creation of a 25th chair at the IMF Executive Board to enhance the voice and representation of Sub-Saharan Africa.

    We remain committed to promoting sustainable capital flows to EMDEs and fostering sound policy frameworks, notably central bank independence. We note the growing role of non-bank financial institutions (NBFIs) and ongoing work to understand the impact on capital flows.

    Sustainable Finance

    We note a commitment to strengthen the global sustainable finance architecture by helping to ensure robust, resilient and effective coordination among stakeholders to foster interoperability among MDBs, Vertical Climate and Environment Funds, and National Development Banks, in support of sustainability goals and national priorities, as appropriate. Scaling up co-financing and mobilising private sector resources by improving efficiency and promoting the use of innovative financial instruments is essential for developing countries’ risk-sharing in country-led climate investments.

    We acknowledge progress on tailoring key considerations that integrate adaptation and resilience into the voluntary transition plans of financial institutions and corporations. These efforts may support vulnerable sectors in moving towards sustainable and climate-resilient economies. We look forward to continued work related to more effective funding mechanisms for adaptation and promote flexible country-tailored solutions that address natural catastrophe insurance protection gaps by developing practical guidance and tools.

    We take note of the potential of high-integrity, voluntary, private-sector led carbon markets, including by promoting interoperability, accessibility, transparency and scalability. We note the efforts by the Climate Data Steering Committee to develop principles aimed towards building a Common Carbon Credit Data Model, as a voluntary tool.

    We note the progress made thus far on the multi-year G20 Sustainable Finance Roadmap which is flexible and voluntary in nature.

    Infrastructure

    Recognising that increasing quality infrastructure investment is critical to support faster and sustainable economic growth and development, we note the progress made in the development of a framework for effective planning and preparation practices, a report on scaling up blended finance de-risking measures, and a toolkit on advancing cross-border infrastructure projects. We also endorse the Practice Guide on Leveraging Project-Level Data and Digitising the Pipeline, and a Note on Improving the Accessibility and Availability of Key Market Data, which are voluntary and non-binding.

    Financial Sector Issues and Financial Inclusion

    We reaffirm our commitment to addressing vulnerabilities and promoting an open, resilient, and stable financial system, which supports economic growth, and is based on the consistent, full and timely implementation of all agreed upon reforms and international standards, including Basel III. We note the growing role of NBFIs in both EMDEs and AEs, and support the Financial Stability Board’s (FSB) work to address NBFI data availability and reporting, quality, use, and information sharing. We endorse the recently finalised FSB recommendations for addressing systemic risks from NBFI leverage and encourage implementation by jurisdictions. We welcome the appointment of the new FSB Chair, Andrew Bailey, Governor of the Bank of England.

    We reaffirm our commitment to the effective implementation of the G20 Roadmap for Enhancing Cross-border Payments (the Roadmap) as well as appropriate further actions as necessary to deliver on the Roadmap’s goals.  We welcome the initiatives undertaken by the FSB, the Bank for International Settlements’ (BIS) Committee on Payments and Market Infrastructures, the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), and other international organisations to advance progress in its implementation. We welcome the launch of the BIS Innovation Hub-G20 TechSprint 2025, which aims to promote innovative solutions that improve trust and integrity in open and scalable finance. We note the update on the FSB Roadmap for addressing climate-related financial risks and the upcoming FSB thematic peer review on the implementation of the high-level crypto assets and stablecoin recommendations.

    We reaffirm our commitment to support the FATF and FATF-Style Regional Bodies in overseeing the implementation of the FATF Standards to combat money laundering, terrorist financing and proliferation financing across the Global Network. In particular, we reiterate the importance of stepping up global efforts to combat the misuse of legal entities, to foster increased asset recovery, to enhance payments transparency, and to promote innovation in the virtual assets sector, while mitigating illicit finance involving virtual assets. We also support FATFs ongoing work on emerging technologies and associated risks including from DeFi arrangements, stablecoins, and peer-to-peer transactions.

    We reaffirm our commitment to financial inclusion and to promoting access to financial services for individuals and micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs). We welcome insights from the Presidency’s Priority Paper on “Moving from Access to Usage,” which offers innovative approaches to enhance the use of financial services across payments, savings, credit, insurance, and remittances. We support the ongoing implementation of the G20 Global Partnership for Financial Inclusion Action Plan for MSME Financing. We also welcome the deliverable to explore the role of new and innovative technologies in enhancing the quality of financial inclusion for individuals and MSMEs.

    International Taxation

    We will continue engaging constructively to address concerns regarding Pillar Two global minimum taxes, with the shared goal of finding a balanced and practical solution that is acceptable for all. Delivery of a solution will  need to include a commitment to ensure any substantial risks that may be identified with respect to the level playing field, including a discussion of the fair treatment of substance-based tax incentives, and risks of base erosion and profit shifting, are addressed and will facilitate further progress to stabilise the international tax system, including a constructive dialogue on the tax challenges arising from the digitalisation of the economy. These efforts will be advanced in close cooperation across the membership of the OECD/G20 Inclusive Framework (IF), preserving the tax sovereignty of all countries. We look forward to the OECD and Global Forum stock take report on tax transparency; the IF stock take report on BEPS; the OECD report on the exchange of real estate information on a voluntary basis to combat tax evasion and avoidance; the Platform for Collaboration on Tax (PCT) report on the progress in strengthening capacity-building frameworks to enhance technical assistance; and the IMF report on strengthening revenue administrations to improve domestic revenue mobilisation (DRM). We welcome the announcement of the PCT to hold the Tax and Development Conference, with a focus on DRM, in Tokyo next year.

    Recalling the G20 Rio de Janeiro Ministerial declaration on International Tax Cooperation, we welcome the IF’s decision to adopt a phased, evidence-based approach to explore global mobility and understand the interaction between tax policy, inequality and growth. We also welcome discussions to enhance the effectiveness and inclusivity of the IF. We note the ongoing negotiations to establish a United Nations Framework Convention on International Tax Cooperation and the participating G20 members reaffirm the objectives to reach broad consensus and build on existing achievements, processes and on the ongoing work of other international organisations, while seeking to avoid unnecessary duplication of efforts.

    Joint Finance Health Task Force

    The Joint Finance-Health Task Force (JFHTF) remains committed to strengthened finance and health co-ordination in relation to pandemic prevention, preparedness, and response (PPR). We emphasise the importance of efficient and effective health spending and domestic resource mobilisation, given the current reductions in donor assistance, as well as the need for better coordination and alignment of external and domestic funding flows. We note the preliminary insights of the updated versions of the Global Report on the Framework for Economic Vulnerabilities and Risks (FEVR) and of the Operational Playbook for response financing. We also note the Simulation exercises on pandemic response financing undertaken by finance and health officials and look forward to further exercises. We note the independent Joint Finance Health Task Force stocktake report, note the focused reconvening of the High-Level Independent Panel, and will continue to work with the Pandemic Fund and other global health funds that catalyse international and domestic investment actions to strengthen pandemic prevention, preparedness and responses.

    We note the outcome of the Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development, held from June 30 to July 3, 2025, in Seville, Spain, and the renewed commitment by participating countries to support developing countries in achieving their development objectives.

    We acknowledge the upcoming COP30 in Belém and note participating countries’ engagement within the COP30 Circle of Finance Ministers.

    We concluded our first cycle of G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors meetings on the vibrant continent of Africa, joining the people of South Africa in celebrating Nelson Mandela Day. Our discussions over the past two days centred on creating a better world, embodying the spirit of Mandela’s values. We look forward to our next meeting in October 2025 in Washington, D.C.

    MIL OSI Canada News –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: World’s highest court delivers historic protections for climate-impacted communities

    Source: Greenpeace Statement –

    The Hague, Netherlands – The world’s highest court has just delivered a landmark Advisory Opinion on the obligations of States in the face of the climate emergency.[1] The International Court of Justice (ICJ) decision delivers historic protections that strengthen the responsibilities of States under international law beyond the Paris Agreement, with several key additional obligations including the duty of all countries to prevent significant harm to the environment and the duty to cooperate.

    The Court’s decision obligates States to regulate businesses on the harm caused by their emissions regardless of where the harm takes place. Significantly, the Court found that the right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment is fundamental for all other human rights, and that intergenerational equity should guide the interpretation of all climate obligations.

    Danilo Garrido, Legal Counsel at Greenpeace International, said:

    “This is the start of a new era of climate accountability at a global level. The ICJ advisory opinion marks a turning point for climate justice, as it has clarified, once and for all, the international climate obligations of States, and most importantly, the consequences for breaches of these obligations. This will open the door for new cases, and hopefully bring justice to those, who despite having contributed the least to climate change, are already suffering its most severe consequences. The message of the Court is clear: the production, consumption and granting of licenses and subsidies for fossil fuels could be breaches of International Law. Polluters must stop emitting and must pay for the harms they have caused.”

    The decision also clarifies that breaches of climate obligations give rise to full reparations: including stopping harmful actions, and giving financial compensation for any related losses and damages. These can include compensation for climate harm and even the need for an immediate cessation of GHG emissions above a science-based safety threshold. Most significantly, the Court made important findings that will ensure climate justice for future generations in the most climate-impacted communities, offering a historic level of protection.

    Flora Vano, Vanuatu Women-Led Community Leader, said:

    “Tonight I’ll sleep easier. For the first time, it feels like Justice is not just a dream but a direction. The ICJ has recognised what we have lived through – our suffering, our resilience and our right to our future. This is a victory not just for us but for every frontline community fighting to be heard. Now, the world must act.”

    Earlier this month, the Inter-American Court of Human Rights delivered another historic decision on the obligations of States in the face of the climate emergency.[2] The Court established that governments must take “urgent and effective actions” to safeguard the right to a healthy climate, and that companies have obligations with regard to climate change and its impacts on human rights. This decision unequivocally puts the rights of people and nature above the interests of polluters.

    In 2023, Greenpeace International’s iconic ship, the Rainbow Warrior, sailed through the Pacific and gathered testimonies from communities affected by climate change. These were submitted to the ICJ, along with testimonies from other communities on the frontlines of the climate crisis.[3] Subsequently, the Court held a two-week-long public hearing on the obligations of States with respect to climate change, featuring testimonies of impacts and resistance of frontline communities across the world, and with unprecedented participation from States and international organisations, following written comments submitted to the Court last year.[4][5]

    Today’s decision adds to the global momentum towards climate accountability and to the Polluters Pay Pact, a global alliance of over 200,000 people on the frontlines of climate disasters, concerned citizens, first responders like firefighters, humanitarian groups, political leaders, and more than 60 NGOs, including Greenpeace International. It demands that governments worldwide make oil, coal and gas corporations pay their fair share for the damages they cause.

    ENDS

    High resolution images for media use can be found in the Greenpeace Media Library

    Notes:

    [1] Obligations of States in respect of Climate Change Request for Advisory Opinion

    [2] The Inter-American Court of Human Rights, one of three regional human rights courts in the world, has the role to interpret and clarify the obligations of States. Its decisions inform national governments and courts. Read the full decision, Opinión Consultiva (in Spanish)

    [3] Greenpeace submits brief to the International Court of Justice on the Obligations of States Regarding Climate Change

    [4] Major milestone reached in historic climate judgement as States submit arguments to world’s highest court

    [5] In 2019, 27 law students from The University of the South Pacific united in forming Pacific Islands Students Fighting Climate Change, with a campaign for the International Court of Justice to issue an Advisory Opinion on the responsibilities of States in respect to climate change. The resolution, put forward by Vanuatu alongside a global alliance of States, passed the United Nations General Assembly unanimously in March 2023, co-sponsored by over 130 countries. 

    Contacts:

    Marie Bout, Strategic Comms Manager, Greenpeace International Climate & Energy Programme, +33 (0) 6 05 98 70 42, [email protected]

    Greenpeace International Press Desk, +31 (0) 20 718 2470 (available 24 hours), [email protected]

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI Submissions: Canadian wetlands are treasures that deserve protection

    Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Maria Strack, Professor, Department of Geography and Environmental Management, University of Waterloo

    The Grande Plée Bleue bog, near Québec City in June 2023. This peatland with pools is one of the largest wetlands in eastern Québec. (Maria Strack)

    Though Canada is often known as a land of lakes, it is also a country of wetlands. Stretching like a necklace of emeralds, sapphires and rubies across the Canadian landscape, wetlands cover 14 per cent of the Canadian land mass, accounting for almost twice as much area as lakes.

    Canada is home to a quarter of the world’s remaining wetlands, yet they remain like hidden treasures that most Canadians rarely pay a second thought.

    The importance of wetlands to a sustainable future has been recognized internationally. Signed in 1971 in the Iranian city of Ramsar, the Convention on Wetlands — often called the Ramsar Convention — supports international collaboration and national action for the conservation of wetlands.

    This week, delegations from contracting parties to the convention, including Canada, have come together in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe, for the 15th Conference of the Parties.

    Despite decades of efforts, wetlands continue to be under threat around the world. Delegates will work this week to chart a path forward that further elevates wetlands in the global consciousness, highlighting the need to protect these ecosystems and meet international goals to safeguard biodiversity and slow climate warming.

    Canada currently has 37 Wetlands of International Importance under the Ramsar Convention, covering more than 13 million hectares. Yet many of Canada’s wetlands remain unprotected.

    Canada’s wetlands

    The term “wetland” usually conjures an image of a shallow pond bordered by cattails. In fact, Canadian wetlands come in a range of shapes and sizes, all of which provide valuable services. Those reedy marshes provide critically important habitat and water storage, particularly in the Prairies, southern Ontario and Québec.

    The vast majority of Canada’s wetlands are made up of swamps, fens and bogs, most of which also hold deep deposits of organic soils called peat. Bogs and fens can resemble vast mossy carpets. But they can also look a lot like forests, hiding their soggy soils beneath a canopy of trees.

    This wetland diversity contributes to their value. At the interface of terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems, wetlands are often biodiversity hotspots.

    They are home to weird and wonderful species, including carnivorous plants like sundews, pitcher plants and bladderworts. And if you’re hungry, peatlands are a great place for berry picking.

    Interwoven in our boreal landscape, wetlands also support iconic Canadian species like beavers, moose and woodland caribou and are key habitats for waterfowl and other migratory birds.

    Preserving wetlands is also a key flood mitigation strategy. Storm water can fill up pore spaces in mossy peat soils, or spread out across the flat expanse of swamps and marshes, reducing peak flows and helping to protect downstream infrastructure. As the water slows, water quality can also be improved. Sediments have time to settle, while plants and microbes can remove excess nutrients.

    Carbon storage

    In recent decades, wetlands have gained international attention for their role in carbon storage. Waterlogged sediment and soil lead to slow rates of decomposition. When plant litter falls in a wetland, it builds up over time, creating a bank of carbon that can be stored for millennia.

    Peatlands are particularly good at accumulating carbon, as they are home to plants that inherently decompose slowly. Because of this, peatlands store twice the carbon of the world’s forests. Keeping this carbon stored in wetland soils, and out of the atmosphere, is important to climate change mitigation.

    Yet, the buildup of carbon in wetlands is slow. Many of these ecosystems have been adding to this carbon bank since the last ice age; digging through metres of peat is like travelling back through time, with the deposits at the bottom often thousands of years old.

    This means that the carbon stored in wetlands is irrecoverable within human lifetimes. Once lost, it will be many generations before the full value of this treasure can be returned.

    The economic value of the water-filtering and carbon storage that Canadian wetlands provide has been estimated at $225 billion per year. It’s clear: healthy wetlands contribute to our society’s well-being.

    But just as important, they are an integral component of the Canadian landscape. Wetlands are interwoven with our forests, fields, lakes and now even our cities. They link us to the land and water. They are places of wonder and spiritual connection.

    Impact of climate change

    Despite their value, wetlands in Canada face many threats. In southern regions of Canada, most wetlands have already been lost to drainage for agriculture and urban development. Further north, up to 98 per cent of Canadian peatlands remain intact.

    However, climate change and resource development are already exacerbating wetland disturbance and loss. Warming temperatures have contributed to larger and more severe wildfire that also impact peatlands and lead to large carbon emissions.

    Thawing permafrost is further changing wetland landscapes and how they function. Warming also allows for northward expansion of agriculture with the potential for loss of even more wetland area to drainage.

    Natural resource extraction further contributes to wetland disturbance, often with unexpected consequences. Geologic exploration used to map oil and gas reserves has left a network of over one million kilometres of linear forest clearing across the boreal forest, much of which crosses peatlands.



    Read more:
    How climate change is impacting the Hudson Bay Lowlands — Canada’s largest wetland

    This has contributed to declines in woodland caribou populations and led to increases in methane emissions from these ecosystems.

    Mining often involves regional drainage or excavation of peatlands, resulting in the loss of their services. The recent push to fast-track production of critical minerals in Canada is putting vast areas of our wetlands at risk.

    Wetland restoration research is ongoing, with some promising results. However, given the long time-scale of wetland development, avoiding disturbances in the first place is the best way to safeguard wetlands.

    As stewards of a quarter of world’s wetland treasures, policymakers and everyday Canadians need to ensure wetlands are safeguarded and preserved for a prosperous future.

    Maria Strack receives funding from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, Environment and Climate Change Canada, the Canadian Sphagnum Peat Moss Association, Ducks Unlimited Canada, Imperial Oil Ltd., Alberta Pacific Forest Industries Inc., Cenovus Energy, Canadian Natural Resources Limited, ConocoPhillips Canada, Natural Resources Canada, and the Alberta Biodiversity Monitoring Institute.

    – ref. Canadian wetlands are treasures that deserve protection – https://theconversation.com/canadian-wetlands-are-treasures-that-deserve-protection-261433

    MIL OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Pest Control Steering Committee reviews progress of anti-mosquito work in combating chikungunya fever, and efforts in rodent control implemented by departments (with photo)

    Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

    Pest Control Steering Committee reviews progress of anti-mosquito work in combating chikungunya fever, and efforts in rodent control implemented by departments (with photo) 
    Mosquito control
     
         The representative of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) reported to the PCSC the situation of mosquito proliferation this year thus far. The gravidtrap indices for Aedes albopictus from April to June 2025 (1.2 per cent in April, 8.6 per cent in May and 9.5 per cent in June) were lower than those in the same period in 2024 (4.2 per cent in April, 15.7 per cent in May and 14 per cent in June) and remained at a relatively low level. With the rainy season approaching, the FEHD has continued to intensify the mosquito prevention and control work with relevant government departments in areas under their purview, including eliminating mosquito breeding places, applying larvicides, conducting fogging operations to eradicate adult mosquitoes, and placing mosquito trapping devices at suitable locations. The FEHD will continue to conduct on-site inspections with relevant departments, and provide them with professional advice and technical support. The rainfall from April to June in 2025 was lower than the previous year, and with the effort of the Government and relevant stakeholders, the gravidtrap indices in some monitored areas reaching alert levels (zero in April, six in May and two in June) dropped compared with the same period in 2024 (one in April, 10 in May and four in June).
     
    In spite of that, the rainfall in June 2025 reached 237.3 millimeters, which was higher than in April (57.1 millimeters) and May (81.6 millimeters). As the hot and rainy weather approaches, combined with the increase in inbound and outbound passenger traffic during the upcoming summer holiday, the overall risk of mosquito borne diseases may rise significantly. The departments will closely monitor the situation of mosquito infestation as reflected by the surveillance indices and strengthen mosquito prevention and control measures based on the recommendations discussed at the meeting, including constantly updating the list of mosquito infestation hotspots to adjust and plan their work based on the actual situation, to ensure that mosquito prevention and control work is prompt and effective.
     
         It is worth noting that in addition to dengue fever, Aedes albopictus can also transmit chikungunya fever (CF). CF is a statutorily notifiable infectious disease in Hong Kong. Recently, a considerable number of CF infection cases have been reported in neighbouring regions and some overseas countries. As Hong Kong people frequently travel to and from different places, if a citizen is infected with CF abroad and is bitten by mosquitoes in Hong Kong during the infectious period, and subsequently the mosquitoes bite other people, local transmission may occur. In view of this, although there have been no CF cases in Hong Kong since 2020, the industry and the public must remain vigilant and intensify mosquito prevention and control efforts to avoid the risk of local cases during the summer.
     
         Owing to the communicable disease notification mechanism established by Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao, the Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health (DH) has kept abreast of the latest situation of CF in Guangdong Province.  At the meeting, the CHP briefed the PCSC about the latest global situation and international response measures regarding CF, as reported by the World Health Organization. 
     
    The CHP has reminded the public to take precautionary and personal protection measures against mosquitoes, both locally and when travelling outside Hong Kong. The CHP’s Port Health Division has stepped up inspections at the boundary control points to ensure good environmental hygiene and effective implementation of anti-mosquito measures. The Division also conducts temperature screening for inbound travellers. Any travellers with fever will be assessed on health conditions and referred to hospitals for follow up when necessary. The CHP will also maintain close liaison with relevant stakeholders, such as airlines and the travel industry, to provide the latest disease information and health advice in a timely manner. The CHP has set up a dedicated webpage on CF (www.chp.gov.hk/en/features/109029.html 
         In addition, the CHP has issued a letter to all doctors and hospitals in Hong Kong to provide them with the latest epidemiological information and appeal them to watch out for CF-related symptoms among those who return to Hong Kong from outbound travel. If CF cases are detected, they should be immediately referred to hospitals for treatment and reported to the DH in accordance with the established mechanism, so that the DH can initiate epidemiological investigations, and implement prevention and control measures. The Hospital Authority (HA) has reminded healthcare professionals to be vigilant in early identification of patients for timely diagnosis and management of patients. Once a suspected case is detected, the HA will activate the surveillance and notification mechanism and report the case to the CHP immediately.
     
         Following Typhoon Wipha, the accumulation of stagnant water may have created mosquito breeding places, increasing the risk of mosquito infestation. Relevant departments and stakeholders will promptly launch a new round of actions to thoroughly eliminate mosquito breeding places, supplemented by fogging operations (i.e. ultra-low volume spraying) to eradicate adult mosquitoes. Subsequently, the departments will continue to take proactive anti-mosquito measures, including clearing potential breeding grounds at least once a week during the rainy season and timely co-ordination of fogging operations until the season ends, in a collective effort to safeguard public health.
     
    Rodent control
     
         Starting from 2024, the FEHD has fully adopted thermal imaging cameras with AI technology to conduct the Rodent Activity Survey (RAS) and establish a RAR in each district. The FEHD uses AI to analyse thermal images captured by cameras to detect and understand rodent pathways and activity ranges. This helps assess rodent infestation objectively and effectively to allocate resources precisely for targeted rodent control measures. The RAR in the second half of 2024 was 94 per cent (for every 100 images, 94 of them did not detect rodents), and the number of survey locations with RAR lower than 80 per cent has decreased by 10 as compared to the first half of 2024. From 2025, the FEHD’s RAS has been extended to public housing estates and parks managed by the Housing Authority and the Leisure and Cultural Services Department. Relevant departments will have more data to enhance precision in rodent control work and make the survey more representative.
     
         Making reference to the results of the RAS, the FEHD continues to strengthen rodent control and implement a series of targeted rodent prevention and control measures, including overnight anti-rodent operations and the application of new anti-rodent technologies and tools, which have gradually shown positive results. From January to June, 2025, the FEHD collected a total of approximately 57 200 live rodents, marking an increase of 92 per cent and 54 per cent as compared to the same periods in 2023 and 2024 respectively.
     
         In the meeting, the FEHD briefed participants on how to make effective use of the RAR data to address rodent blackspots, and properly allocate resources to step up rodent prevention and control work so as to achieve a precise and effective rodent control strategy, for reference by relevant departments.
     
         The effectiveness of prevention and control of rodents relies on the co-operation of stakeholders from various sectors. On December 31, 2024, the FEHD launched the first phase of the Anti-rodent Charter, targeting residential premises to raise residents’ awareness of environmental hygiene and foster good habits to create a rodent-free environment. Residential premises that sign the Charter will be provided with free anti-rodent technical support from the FEHD, including invitations to attend pest control seminars organised by the department. As of June 15, 2025, 640 residential premises have signed the Charter, covering over 580 000 households. Two premises, with over 40 households, that signed the Charter have participated in the Pilot Scheme on Joint Property Management. Other participants joining the Pilot Scheme will be gradually invited to sign the Charter when they are ready.
     
         The FEHD has actively provided technical support to residential premises that signed the Charter and organised 48 publicity and education activities over the past six months, including rodent control seminars, exhibitions and site visits, to encourage community participation in daily anti-rodent efforts. A total of approximately 2 150 people took part. Among these, two large-scale rodent control seminars held by the FEHD in March and June, 2025 were very well-received, attracting over 400 anti-rodent liaison ambassadors.
     
         All departments agreed to continue to strengthen rodent prevention and control measures in premises under their respective management, to strengthen internal monitoring and assessment of the outcome of rodent control work, and to actively encourage relevant sectors and stakeholders to co-operate with the Government’s work, eliminating rodents’ fundamental survival conditions of food, harbourage and passages from their respective areas.
     
         The second-stage environmental hygiene-related legislative amendments was passed by the Legislative Council on May 8, 2025 and will come into effect on August 17, to more effectively tackle rodent infestation and other environmental hygiene issues. The FEHD can now serve a “Notice of Elimination of Vermin” to persons responsible for management of the building (e.g. property management companies) when appropriate, for their follow-up action to eliminate vermin infestation in common parts of a building. Under the legislative amendments, the maximum penalty for non-compliance with “Notice of Elimination of Vermin” will be raised from a fine at level 2 ($5,000) and a daily fine of $100 to a fine at level 4 ($25,000) and a daily fine of $450, so as to enhance deterrent effect.
     
    The meeting was chaired by the Under Secretary for Environment and Ecology, Miss Diane Wong. Participants of the meeting came from three policy bureaux and 20 government departments and organisations.
    Issued at HKT 22:32

    NNNN

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Pest Control Steering Committee reviews progress of anti-mosquito work in combating chikungunya fever, and efforts in rodent control implemented by departments (with photo)

    Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

    Pest Control Steering Committee reviews progress of anti-mosquito work in combating chikungunya fever, and efforts in rodent control implemented by departments (with photo) 
    Mosquito control
     
         The representative of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) reported to the PCSC the situation of mosquito proliferation this year thus far. The gravidtrap indices for Aedes albopictus from April to June 2025 (1.2 per cent in April, 8.6 per cent in May and 9.5 per cent in June) were lower than those in the same period in 2024 (4.2 per cent in April, 15.7 per cent in May and 14 per cent in June) and remained at a relatively low level. With the rainy season approaching, the FEHD has continued to intensify the mosquito prevention and control work with relevant government departments in areas under their purview, including eliminating mosquito breeding places, applying larvicides, conducting fogging operations to eradicate adult mosquitoes, and placing mosquito trapping devices at suitable locations. The FEHD will continue to conduct on-site inspections with relevant departments, and provide them with professional advice and technical support. The rainfall from April to June in 2025 was lower than the previous year, and with the effort of the Government and relevant stakeholders, the gravidtrap indices in some monitored areas reaching alert levels (zero in April, six in May and two in June) dropped compared with the same period in 2024 (one in April, 10 in May and four in June).
     
    In spite of that, the rainfall in June 2025 reached 237.3 millimeters, which was higher than in April (57.1 millimeters) and May (81.6 millimeters). As the hot and rainy weather approaches, combined with the increase in inbound and outbound passenger traffic during the upcoming summer holiday, the overall risk of mosquito borne diseases may rise significantly. The departments will closely monitor the situation of mosquito infestation as reflected by the surveillance indices and strengthen mosquito prevention and control measures based on the recommendations discussed at the meeting, including constantly updating the list of mosquito infestation hotspots to adjust and plan their work based on the actual situation, to ensure that mosquito prevention and control work is prompt and effective.
     
         It is worth noting that in addition to dengue fever, Aedes albopictus can also transmit chikungunya fever (CF). CF is a statutorily notifiable infectious disease in Hong Kong. Recently, a considerable number of CF infection cases have been reported in neighbouring regions and some overseas countries. As Hong Kong people frequently travel to and from different places, if a citizen is infected with CF abroad and is bitten by mosquitoes in Hong Kong during the infectious period, and subsequently the mosquitoes bite other people, local transmission may occur. In view of this, although there have been no CF cases in Hong Kong since 2020, the industry and the public must remain vigilant and intensify mosquito prevention and control efforts to avoid the risk of local cases during the summer.
     
         Owing to the communicable disease notification mechanism established by Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao, the Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health (DH) has kept abreast of the latest situation of CF in Guangdong Province.  At the meeting, the CHP briefed the PCSC about the latest global situation and international response measures regarding CF, as reported by the World Health Organization. 
     
    The CHP has reminded the public to take precautionary and personal protection measures against mosquitoes, both locally and when travelling outside Hong Kong. The CHP’s Port Health Division has stepped up inspections at the boundary control points to ensure good environmental hygiene and effective implementation of anti-mosquito measures. The Division also conducts temperature screening for inbound travellers. Any travellers with fever will be assessed on health conditions and referred to hospitals for follow up when necessary. The CHP will also maintain close liaison with relevant stakeholders, such as airlines and the travel industry, to provide the latest disease information and health advice in a timely manner. The CHP has set up a dedicated webpage on CF (www.chp.gov.hk/en/features/109029.html 
         In addition, the CHP has issued a letter to all doctors and hospitals in Hong Kong to provide them with the latest epidemiological information and appeal them to watch out for CF-related symptoms among those who return to Hong Kong from outbound travel. If CF cases are detected, they should be immediately referred to hospitals for treatment and reported to the DH in accordance with the established mechanism, so that the DH can initiate epidemiological investigations, and implement prevention and control measures. The Hospital Authority (HA) has reminded healthcare professionals to be vigilant in early identification of patients for timely diagnosis and management of patients. Once a suspected case is detected, the HA will activate the surveillance and notification mechanism and report the case to the CHP immediately.
     
         Following Typhoon Wipha, the accumulation of stagnant water may have created mosquito breeding places, increasing the risk of mosquito infestation. Relevant departments and stakeholders will promptly launch a new round of actions to thoroughly eliminate mosquito breeding places, supplemented by fogging operations (i.e. ultra-low volume spraying) to eradicate adult mosquitoes. Subsequently, the departments will continue to take proactive anti-mosquito measures, including clearing potential breeding grounds at least once a week during the rainy season and timely co-ordination of fogging operations until the season ends, in a collective effort to safeguard public health.
     
    Rodent control
     
         Starting from 2024, the FEHD has fully adopted thermal imaging cameras with AI technology to conduct the Rodent Activity Survey (RAS) and establish a RAR in each district. The FEHD uses AI to analyse thermal images captured by cameras to detect and understand rodent pathways and activity ranges. This helps assess rodent infestation objectively and effectively to allocate resources precisely for targeted rodent control measures. The RAR in the second half of 2024 was 94 per cent (for every 100 images, 94 of them did not detect rodents), and the number of survey locations with RAR lower than 80 per cent has decreased by 10 as compared to the first half of 2024. From 2025, the FEHD’s RAS has been extended to public housing estates and parks managed by the Housing Authority and the Leisure and Cultural Services Department. Relevant departments will have more data to enhance precision in rodent control work and make the survey more representative.
     
         Making reference to the results of the RAS, the FEHD continues to strengthen rodent control and implement a series of targeted rodent prevention and control measures, including overnight anti-rodent operations and the application of new anti-rodent technologies and tools, which have gradually shown positive results. From January to June, 2025, the FEHD collected a total of approximately 57 200 live rodents, marking an increase of 92 per cent and 54 per cent as compared to the same periods in 2023 and 2024 respectively.
     
         In the meeting, the FEHD briefed participants on how to make effective use of the RAR data to address rodent blackspots, and properly allocate resources to step up rodent prevention and control work so as to achieve a precise and effective rodent control strategy, for reference by relevant departments.
     
         The effectiveness of prevention and control of rodents relies on the co-operation of stakeholders from various sectors. On December 31, 2024, the FEHD launched the first phase of the Anti-rodent Charter, targeting residential premises to raise residents’ awareness of environmental hygiene and foster good habits to create a rodent-free environment. Residential premises that sign the Charter will be provided with free anti-rodent technical support from the FEHD, including invitations to attend pest control seminars organised by the department. As of June 15, 2025, 640 residential premises have signed the Charter, covering over 580 000 households. Two premises, with over 40 households, that signed the Charter have participated in the Pilot Scheme on Joint Property Management. Other participants joining the Pilot Scheme will be gradually invited to sign the Charter when they are ready.
     
         The FEHD has actively provided technical support to residential premises that signed the Charter and organised 48 publicity and education activities over the past six months, including rodent control seminars, exhibitions and site visits, to encourage community participation in daily anti-rodent efforts. A total of approximately 2 150 people took part. Among these, two large-scale rodent control seminars held by the FEHD in March and June, 2025 were very well-received, attracting over 400 anti-rodent liaison ambassadors.
     
         All departments agreed to continue to strengthen rodent prevention and control measures in premises under their respective management, to strengthen internal monitoring and assessment of the outcome of rodent control work, and to actively encourage relevant sectors and stakeholders to co-operate with the Government’s work, eliminating rodents’ fundamental survival conditions of food, harbourage and passages from their respective areas.
     
         The second-stage environmental hygiene-related legislative amendments was passed by the Legislative Council on May 8, 2025 and will come into effect on August 17, to more effectively tackle rodent infestation and other environmental hygiene issues. The FEHD can now serve a “Notice of Elimination of Vermin” to persons responsible for management of the building (e.g. property management companies) when appropriate, for their follow-up action to eliminate vermin infestation in common parts of a building. Under the legislative amendments, the maximum penalty for non-compliance with “Notice of Elimination of Vermin” will be raised from a fine at level 2 ($5,000) and a daily fine of $100 to a fine at level 4 ($25,000) and a daily fine of $450, so as to enhance deterrent effect.
     
    The meeting was chaired by the Under Secretary for Environment and Ecology, Miss Diane Wong. Participants of the meeting came from three policy bureaux and 20 government departments and organisations.
    Issued at HKT 22:32

    NNNN

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Governor Stein, Department of Environmental Quality Announce $204 Million for Drinking Water and Wastewater Projects

    Source: US State of North Carolina

    Headline: Governor Stein, Department of Environmental Quality Announce $204 Million for Drinking Water and Wastewater Projects

    Governor Stein, Department of Environmental Quality Announce $204 Million for Drinking Water and Wastewater Projects
    lsaito

    Raleigh, NC

    Governor Josh Stein announced today that 27 counties across the state will receive more than $204 million in funding for 48 drinking water and wastewater infrastructure projects. The awards will improve drinking water and wastewater infrastructure, address PFAS and other forever chemicals, identify and replace lead pipes, and improve resiliency after future storms.

    “When you turn on the faucet in your home, you shouldn’t have to worry about whether that water is safe for your family,” said Governor Josh Stein. “These investments will help ensure North Carolinians have access to clean drinking water and will help keep people safe when disaster strikes.”   

    “At DEQ, we’re committed to ensuring everyone in North Carolina has access to clean water,” said Department of Environmental Quality Secretary Reid Wilson. “This funding will address aging infrastructure and improve public health for communities large and small.”

    Notable projects include:

    • The Town of Bryson City (Swain County) will receive $9.2 million in Clean Water State Revolving Funds for wastewater treatment plant improvements.
    • The Town of Waynesville (Haywood County) will receive $8.2 million from the Clean Water State Revolving Fund for improvements to the Little Champion Gravity Sewer and Pump Station.
    • The City of Graham (Alamance County) will receive $3.4 million in Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) Drinking Water State Revolving Fund-Emerging Contaminant (PFAS) Construction funding for Graham-Mebane Water Treatment Plant improvements.
    • The Fayetteville Public Works Commission (Cumberland County) will receive $20.5 million from IIJA Drinking Water State Revolving Fund Emerging Contaminant (PFAS) Construction funding for the P.O. Hoffer / Glenville Lake Water Treatment Plant Granulated Activated Carbon (GAC) facility.
    • The Town of River Bend (Craven County) will receive $6.3 million in Drinking Water State Revolving Funds for Phase II drinking water improvements.
    • The Martin County Regional Water and Sewer Authority will receive $1 million in IIJA Drinking Water State Revolving Fund-Emerging Contaminant (PFAS) Construction funding for GAC filters for PFAS removal.
    • The City of Lenoir (Caldwell County) will receive $5.6 million from the Clean Water State Revolving Fund for Lower Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant Process Basin Improvements. Lenoir will also receive $1 million in IIJA Drinking Water State Revolving Fund Lead Service Line funding for its Lead Service Line Inventory Phase 3 project.
    • The City of Lexington (Davidson County) will receive $13.7 million in Clean Water State Revolving Funds for the Lexington Regional Wastewater Treatment Plant Solids Handling Improvements project.
    • The City of Henderson (Vance County) will receive $10.7 million from the Clean Water State Revolving Fund for the Sandy Creek Pump Station and Force Main project.
    • The Town of Warrenton (Warren County) will receive $10 million from the Clean Water State Revolving Fund for its Phase IV Wastewater Treatment Plant Improvements project.
    • The City of Sanford (Lee County) will receive $7.3 million in Clean Water State Revolving Funds for its Dry Creek Basin Sewer Rehabilitation project and $1 million each for its Sanford/TriRiver Water/Chatham County and Sanford/TriRiver Water/Siler City Lead Service Line Inventory projects.
    • The Pfeiffer-North Stanly Water Association (Stanly County) will receive $4.9 million in Drinking Water State Revolving Funds for its N. Main Street and Old 52 waterline replacement project.
    • Carolina Water Service, Inc. will receive a total of $5.5 million for six projects involving PFAS-related, lead service line identification or water line-related funding in Cumberland, Gaston, Moore and Pender counties.

    A list of all projects selected for funding is available on the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality (NCDEQ) website.

    NCDEQ’s Division of Water Infrastructure reviewed 133 eligible applications, which requested a total of $1.57 billion. The State Water Infrastructure Authority approved the awards during its July 16 meeting. The Authority is an independent body with primary responsibility for awarding federal and state funding for water infrastructure projects. 

    Funding this round came from the State Revolving Funds, including IIJA funds. The State Revolving Funds provide low-interest loans that may be partially forgiven for drinking water and wastewater projects. State Revolving Funds are funded by federal capitalization grants and revolving loan repayments. This round included IIJA Emerging Contaminants (PFAS) funds and IIJA Lead Service Line Replacement funds. 

    The Division of Water Infrastructure’s Fall 2025 funding round begins July 29. Applications are due by 5 p.m. Sept. 30, 2025. Funding for the Fall 2025 round will come from multiple existing programs, including evaluating options to address PFAS contamination, identifying and replacing lead service lines, and Viable Utility Reserve grants. The Viable Utility Reserve provides grants to local government units that are designated as Distressed for planning and construction projects that will support the long-term viability of the utility. 

    In addition, the Division will accept applications on a rolling basis for the new federal supplemental appropriations from the 2025 American Relief Act to build resilience to infrastructure for Hurricane Helene-impacted communities. Helene State Revolving Fund supplemental funds for western North Carolina towns that have experienced Helene damage will continue to be available through year-round applications starting at the end of July until 2026.  

    The Division of Water Infrastructure will conduct in-person funding application training for the Fall 2025 funding round at six locations: Clyde, Hickory, Boone, Fayetteville, Winterville, and Research Triangle Park/Durham. A virtual option via Webex will also be available, and a recording of the training will be posted on the Division’s training web page.

    Learn more about the Division of Water Infrastructure’s funding programs here. 

    Jul 23, 2025

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI: EnerPure Appoints Advisory Board Members to Support Strategic Growth and Commercialization Efforts

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    Winnipeg, MB, July 23, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — EnerPure Inc. (“EnerPure” or the “Company”), a waste to energy company, is pleased to announce the appointment of Gary Farrar, Susan Rohac, and Mogens L. Mathiesen as Advisory Board Members. Each of these newly appointed Advisors brings significant industry experience and expertise in their respective areas and their thought leadership, strategic acumen, and experience will be invaluable to management as EnerPure moves through the commercialization and growth phase.

    “Gary, Susan, and Mogens as true experts in their respective fields provide tremendous depth and width to the knowledge base of our team, we are honoured to have them on the team” said Rick Koshman, President and CEO of EnerPure. “Each of them brings a unique and highly complementary skill set that aligns perfectly with our goal to deploy 21 recycling plants in 6 years. Gary with over 46 years experience in UMO recycling, Susan as one of Canada’s most prolific Cleantech investors, and Mogens with his shipping decarbonization focus provide us with priceless industry insights and know-how as we look to navigate the next few years.”

    About Gary Farrar
    Gary is a seasoned executive with over 45 years of leadership in the used motor oil (UMO) recycling and environmental services industry across North America. His expertise spans operations, business development, logistics, refinery supply, and sales. He has held senior roles including U.S. Vice President of Supply and Product Sales at Safety-Kleen, where he led the growth of recycled oil streams and oversaw the world’s largest UMO re-refinery. As General Manager of Safety-Kleen Canada, he managed nationwide operations and multiple business lines. At Heritage-Crystal Clean, he helped launch and scale a 75-million-gallon refinery in Indianapolis. Gary is known for building high-performing teams and driving operational and commercial success in complex industrial environments.

    About Susan Rohac – LinkedIn
    Susan recently retired from BDC (Business Development Bank of Canada) after 34 years of service. As Managing Partner of the Climate Tech venture capital fund, she led a pan-Canadian team of investment professionals and managed a portfolio of over $1 billion in assets including a $500 million fund that was launched in 2022 focusing on investing in Canada’s most promising cleantech companies. She has invested in a wide range of climate technologies such as CCUS, CDR, hydrogen, critical minerals, energy storage/battery, mobility, proptech, and advanced materials. Susan was recognized as a Climate Leader in 2024 by the Clean50 and was recipient of the Clean16 award. Susan holds honour degrees in both science and finance and has her executive MBA and ICD governance designation.

    About Mogens L. Mathiesen – LinkedIn
    Mogens has over 25 years of expertise in maritime technology and sustainability. Specializing in maritime decarbonisation, he has pioneered data-driven solutions to reduce shipping emissions. As Chief Industry and Strategy Officer at HUB Ocean, Mogens led initiatives to enable green shipping routes and foster industry collaboration. He co-founded Arundo Analytics, driving the development of analytics platforms for maritime applications, and volunteers in the Ocean Rescue Service in Norway. With an M.Sc. in Ocean Engineering and Marine Cybernetics from the NTNU and UC Berkeley, Mogens is committed to advancing sustainable practices through innovation and strategic leadership.

    About EnerPure – https://enerpure.tech
    “We recycle Used Motor Oil (UMO) to reduce GHG emissions while producing a lower carbon-intensive marine fuel.”

    Each year ~17 billion litres of UMO* are improperly burned or dumped, causing widespread environmental harm. EnerPure sees a tremendous opportunity to solve this problem through the deployment of its modular micro-scale recycling plants using its patented technology to convert UMO into high-quality marine fuel.

    EnerPure is entering its next phase of growth, with our first commercial plant planned for Alberta. Our recycling plants require ~5% of the capex of traditional solutions, enabling localized recycling (while reducing the cost of collection) and providing strong economic returns. 

    Our technology has been proven via our pilot plant (operating at 43% of scale) with 1.6 million litres processed and validated through the sale of over 1.2 million litres. Our drop-in ISO 8217-compliant marine fuel is in high demand in a growing market with its 14.6% lower carbon intensity.  Annually each recycling plant can reduce greenhouse gas (“GHG”) emissions and criteria air contaminants by 36,315 and 437 tonnes, respectively.

    EnerPure, while delivering strong economic returns, offers a proven, scalable platform where environmental need meets commercial opportunity, powering the energy transition through smart regional recycling.

    *UMO is defined as any petroleum-based or synthetic lubricating oil that cannot be used for its original purpose due to contamination.

    Disclosure and Caution
    This press release may contain certain disclosures that may constitute “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Canadian securities legislation. In making the forward-looking statements, the Company has applied certain factors and assumptions that the Company believes are reasonable. However, the forward-looking statements are subject to numerous risks, uncertainties and other factors, including but not limited to economic, capital expenditures, and engineering projections, that may cause future results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in such forward-looking statements. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate, and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. The Company does not intend, and expressly disclaims any intention or obligation to, update or revise any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.

    The securities referred to in this news release have not been, and will not be, registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or any state securities laws, and may not be offered or sold in the United States unless pursuant to an exemption therefrom. This press release is for information purposes only and does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any securities of the Company in any jurisdiction.

     

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI Analysis: Gene editing technology could be used to save species on the brink of extinction

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Cock Van Oosterhout, Professor of Evolutionary Genetics, University of East Anglia

    Earth’s biodiversity is in crisis. An imminent “sixth mass extinction” threatens beloved and important wildlife. It also threatens to reduce the amount of genetic diversity – or variation – within species.

    This variation in genes within a species is crucial for their ability to adapt to changes in the environment or resist diseases. Genetic variation is therefore crucial for species’ long term survival.

    Traditional conservation efforts – such as protected areas, measures to prevent poaching, and captive breeding – remain essential to prevent extinction. But even when these measures succeed in boosting population numbers, they cannot recover genetic diversity that has already been lost. The loss of a unique gene variant can take thousands of years of evolution before it is recovered by a lucky mutation.

    In a new paper in Nature Reviews Biodiversity, an international team of geneticists and wildlife biologists argues that the survival of some species will depend on gene editing, along with more traditional conservation actions. Using these advanced genetic tools, like those already revolutionising agriculture and medicine, can give endangered species a boost by adding genetic diversity that isn’t there.

    Genetic engineering is not new. Plant breeders have used it for decades to develop crops with traits to boost disease resistance and drought tolerance. Around 13.5% of the world’s arable land grows genetically modified crops. Gene-editing tools such as Crispr are also being used in “de-extinction” projects that aim to recreate extinct animals.

    The Dallas-based company Colossal Laboratory & Biosciences has attracted headlines for its efforts to bring back the woolly mammoth, dodo and dire wolf. In de-extinction, the DNA of a living relative species is edited (changed) to approximate the extinct species’ most charismatic traits.

    For example, to “resurrect” a woolly mammoth, Colossal’s researchers plan to splice mammoth genes (recovered from ancient remains) into the genome of the Asian elephant to produce a cold-hardy, hairy elephant-mammoth hybrid. Colossal recently engineered grey wolf pups with 20 gene edits from the extinct dire wolf’s DNA.

    Colossal edited grey wolves to have traits from extinct dire wolves.
    Colossal

    The “Jurassic Park”-style revival of long-gone creatures has attracted considerable attention and funding, which has accelerated the development of genome engineering techniques. These same genome editing tools can be used for conservation of existing and endangered species. If we can edit a mouse to have mammoth hair, or edit a wolf to resemble a dire wolf, why not edit an endangered bird’s genome to make it more resilient to disease and climate change?

    Museum specimens

    Using DNA from historical specimens, scientists can identify important genetic variants that a species has lost. Many museums hold century-old skins, bones, or seeds – a genomic time capsule of past diversity. With genome editing, it is possible to reintroduce these lost variants into the wild gene pool.

    By restoring genetic variation, species can be fortified against emerging diseases and environmental change. A sharp decline in population numbers is called a “bottleneck”. During a bottleneck, inbreeding and genetic drift lead to the random loss of genetic diversity. Harmful mutations can also increase in frequency. Such “genomic erosion” compromises the health of individuals and can make populations more prone to extinction.

    If we can pinpoint a particularly damaging mutation that has become widespread in the population or a variant that has been lost, we could replace it in a few individuals using gene editing. Aided by natural selection, the healthy variant would gradually spread in the population.

    If a threatened species lacks genes that it desperately needs to survive new conditions, why not borrow them from a close relative that already has those traits? Known as facilitated adaptation, this could help wildlife cope with threats such as climate change.

    In agriculture, such cross-species gene transfers are routine. Tomatoes have been engineered with a mustard plant gene to tolerate cold, and chestnut trees got a wheat gene for disease resistance. There is no reason why such techniques cannot be expanded to animals.

    These genetic interventions can complement, but never replace traditional conservation measures. Habitat protection, control of invasive predators, captive breeding programmes, and other on-the-ground action remain absolutely necessary. Importantly, gene editing only makes sense if the target population has recovered in numbers enough (often through conservation), to allow natural selection to do its job.

    Measuring the risk of extinction

    Gene-edited animals or plants wouldn’t have a chance if released into a barren habitat or a poaching hotspot. Genomic tools can give an extra edge to species that are already being saved from immediate threats, equipping them for adaptive evolution in the future.

    Climate zones are shifting, new diseases are spreading, and once-isolated populations are cut off in small fragments of habitat. Without intervention, even intensive habitat management might not prevent a wave of extinctions.

    However, a strategy of gene editing also comes with significant risks and unknowns. One technical concern is off-target effects – Crispr and other gene-editing techniques might make unintended DNA changes in addition to the intended edit. In other words, you attempt to insert a disease-resistance gene, but accidentally disrupt another gene in the process. Similarly, a gene may have more than one function, which is known as pleiotropy.

    Especially in less-well studied species, we may not be aware of all those functions or pleiotropic effects. Regulatory inertia and public scepticism may also present big obstacles – these issues have historically limited the rollout of genetically modified (GM) organisms, particularly in agriculture.

    There are also evolutionary and ecological uncertainties. A deliberate gene edit might have knock-on effects on how the species evolves over time. For instance, if one individual is given a highly beneficial gene that spreads rapidly, it could replace all the other gene variants at that location in the genome (the full complement of DNA in the organism’s cell). This is known as a “selective sweep”, and it inadvertently reduces the genetic diversity in that region of the genome.

    Some critics argue that the narrative of a genetic quick fix could distract from the root causes of biodiversity loss. If people believe we can simply “edit” a species to save it, will that undermine the urgency to protect habitats or cut carbon emissions? Portraying extinction as reversible might seed false hope and reduce the motivation for tough environmental action.

    Conservation efforts, strong environmental policies and legal protections remain indispensable. So do habitat restoration, climate action and reducing the impact made on the environment by humans.

    Nevertheless, genome engineering is a new tool in the conservation toolbox. It’s one that –given the right assistance and environmental encouragement – can help save species from extinction.

    Get your news from actual experts, straight to your inbox. Sign up to our daily newsletter to receive all The Conversation UK’s latest coverage of news and research, from politics and business to the arts and sciences.

    Cock Van Oosterhout receives funding from the Royal Society for conservation genomics work on threatened bird species in Mauritius, and a donation by the Colossal Foundation for conservation genomic research on the pink pigeon. He is member of the Conservation Genetics Specialist Group of the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature).

    – ref. Gene editing technology could be used to save species on the brink of extinction – https://theconversation.com/gene-editing-technology-could-be-used-to-save-species-on-the-brink-of-extinction-261419

    MIL OSI Analysis –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: PM call with President Erdoğan of Türkiye: 22 July 2025

    Source: United Kingdom – Government Statements

    Press release

    PM call with President Erdoğan of Türkiye: 22 July 2025

    The Prime Minister spoke to the President of Türkiye Recep Tayyip Erdoğan yesterday evening.

    The Prime Minister spoke to the President of Türkiye Recep Tayyip Erdoğan yesterday evening.

    The two leaders looked ahead to today’s International Defence Industry Fair in Istanbul, where their Defence Ministers have taken the next step towards signing a multi-billion-pound export deal of UK-built Typhoon jets to Türkiye. 

    The Prime Minister added that once fully finalised, this enhanced military co-operation will strengthen NATO’s collective defences and keep us safer during uncertain times, as well as sustaining 20,000 UK jobs and driving growth. 

    Turning to the Middle East, they discussed the intolerable situation in Gaza and underlined the urgent need for more aid and an urgent ceasefire, in order to pave the way for a two-state solution and a secure future for Palestinians and Israelis.

    They reiterated their concern about the recent violence in Syria, and agreed that the ceasefire must hold.

    The Prime Minister thanked the President for Türkiye’s convening role in the upcoming talks between Russia and Ukraine in Istanbul today, as well as the discussions due to take place on Iran’s nuclear programme later this week.

    Updates to this page

    Published 23 July 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Submissions: How the nature of environmental law is changing in defense of the planet and the climate

    Source: The Conversation – USA (2) – By Dana Zartner, Professor of International Studies, University of San Francisco

    A 2017 New Zealand law recognizes inherent rights of the Whanganui River. Jason Pratt, CC BY-SA

    While the dangerous effects of climate change continue to worsen, legal efforts to address a range of environmental issues are also on the rise.

    Headlines across the globe tout many of these legal actions: South Korea’s Climate Law Violates Rights of Future Generations; Ukraine is Ground Zero in Battle for Ecocide Law; Paris Wants to Grant the River Seine Legal Personhood; and Montana Court Rules Children Have the Right to a Healthy Environment, to name a few recent examples.

    As an environmental lawyer, I see that most of these suits use one of five legal strategies that have been developed over the past couple of decades. These approaches vary in terms of who is filing the lawsuit, against whom, and whether the underlying legal perspective is based on protecting human rights or the rights of the environment itself. But they all share an innovative approach to protect all life on this planet.

    1. Right to a healthy environment

    In 2022, the United Nations declared that humans have “the right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment … essential to protecting human life, well-being and dignity.” More than 150 countries have similar declarations in their constitutions or laws, often alongside protections for other human rights, such as those to education and medical care.

    These rights are held by humans, so people can sue for alleged violations. Typically they sue one or more government agencies, whose responsibility it is to protect human rights.

    One recent case using this approach was Held v. Montana, in which a group of young people in 2024 won a lawsuit against the state of Montana for violating the state constitution’s right to a “clean and healthful environment.” The state Supreme Court agreed with the plaintiffs and struck down a law barring the consideration of climate effects when evaluating proposals for fossil fuel extraction. Similar cases have been heard in the U.S. and other countries around the world.

    Rikki Held, the lead plaintiff in the Montana case, center seated, confers with the Our Children’s Trust legal team before the start of the trial on June 12, 2023.
    William Campbell/Getty Images

    2. The rights of future generations

    A legal concept called “intergenerational equity” is the idea that present generations must “responsibly use and conserve natural resources for the benefit of future generations.” First codified in international law in the 1972 Stockholm Declaration, the principle has been gaining popularity in recent decades. International organizations and national governments have enshrined this principle in law.

    Focused on humans’ rights, these laws allow people and groups to bring claims, usually against governments, for allowing activities that are altering the environment in ways that will harm future generations. One well-known case that relied on this legal principle is Future Generations v. Ministry of the Environment and Others, in which a Colombian court in 2018 agreed with young people who had sued, finding that the Colombian government’s allowance of “rampant deforestation in the Amazon” violated the pact of intergenerational equity.

    3. Government responsibility

    Another human-centered approach is the public trust doctrine, which establishes “that certain natural and cultural resources are preserved for public use” and that governments have a responsibility to protect them for everyone’s benefit.

    While the concept of “public trust” has long existed in the law, recently it has been used to bring suit against governments for their failure to address climate change and other environmental degradation. In Urgenda Foundation v. the State of the Netherlands, a Dutch court held in 2019 that the government has a responsibility to mitigate the effects of climate change due to the “severity of the consequences of climate change and the great risk of climate change occurring.” Since the decision, the Dutch government has sought to reduce emissions by phasing out the use of coal, increasing reliance on renewable energy and aiming to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050.

    Government responsibility for the public trust was also a basis of the Juliana v. U.S. case, where a group of young people sued the U.S. government for breaching the public trust by not doing enough to curb greenhouse gas emissions. The U.S. Supreme Court ultimately declined to hear an appeal of a lower court’s ruling, but the lack of a specific ruling by the nation’s highest court has given continued hope to new cases, which continue to be filed based on the same principle.

    A documentary examining the movement to protect the rights of nature.

    4. Rights of nature

    The rights of nature is one of the fastest-growing environmental legal strategies of the past decade. Since Ecuador recognized the rights of Pachamama, the Quechua name for Mother Earth, in its Constitution in 2008, more than 500 laws on the rights of nature have been enacted around the world.

    The principle recognizes the legal rights of natural entities, such as rivers, mountains, ecosystems or even something as specific as wild rice. The laws that grant these rights don’t focus on humans but rather nature itself, often including language that the natural entity has the right to “exist and persist.”

    The laws then provide a mechanism for the natural entity – whether through a specific group assigned legal guardianship or other community efforts – to protect itself by filing lawsuits in court. In the 2018 Colombian case, the court found that the Amazon ecosystem has rights, which must be respected and protected.

    Similarly, in Bangladesh in 2019 the courts recognized the rights of all the country’s rivers, requiring, among other things, a halt on damaging development along the rivers that block their natural flow. The court also created a commission to serve as legal guardians of the country’s rivers.

    The destruction of a dam in Ukraine, which emptied this former reservoir, is being investigated as a possible crime of ecocide.
    Tarasov/Ukrinform/Future Publishing via Getty Images

    5. Defining a new crime: Ecocide

    In 2024, the governments of Vanuatu, Fiji and Samoa formally proposed that the international community recognize a new crime under international law. Called “ecocide,” the principle takes a nature-focused approach and includes any unlawful act committed with “the knowledge that there is a substantial likelihood of severe and either widespread or long-term damage to the environment.”

    Put another way, what genocide is to humans, ecocide is to nature. It is being proposed as an addition to the 2002 Rome Statute, which created the International Criminal Court to prosecute war crimes, genocide and crimes against humanity.

    While the idea is relatively new, in addition to the international efforts, several countries have incorporated ecocide into their laws – including Vietnam, France, Chile and Ukraine. A Ukrainian prosecutor is currently investigating the June 2023 destruction of a dam in a Russian-occupied area of the country as a potential crime of ecocide, because of the widespread flooding and habitat destruction that resulted.

    The European Union has also incorporated ecocide into its Environmental Crime Directive, which applies to all EU member countries, providing them with a mechanism to hear ecocide claims in their national courts.

    Using these ideas

    Each of these legal concepts has the potential to increase protection for the environment – and the people who live in it. But determining which strategy has the greatest chance of success depends on the details of the existing law and legal system in each community.

    All of these legal strategies have a role in the fight to protect and preserve the environment as an integral, interdependent living thing that is vitally important to us as humans but also in its own right.

    Dana Zartner is a volunteer with the Earth Law Center assisting with the editing of toolkits and guides, but has not worked on any of its lawsuits.

    – ref. How the nature of environmental law is changing in defense of the planet and the climate – https://theconversation.com/how-the-nature-of-environmental-law-is-changing-in-defense-of-the-planet-and-the-climate-258982

    MIL OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: Italy: EIB provides €120 million to AGSM AIM to strengthen power grid

    Source: European Investment Bank

    AGSM

    • The agreement will enable power grid modernisation and reliability improvement work in three key municipalities in Veneto, with direct benefits for residents and businesses.
    • The operation will help make the local energy system more efficient and able to meet the challenges of the green transition and digitalisation.

    The European Investment Bank (EIB) and AGSM AIM have signed a finance contract totalling €120 million to strengthen and modernise the power grid in the three Italian municipalities of Vicenza, Verona and Grezzana, all strategic areas for the group served by the V-RETI S.p.A. business unit.

    The financing – which can be used all at once or split into tranches – is a step forward in promoting the energy transition and the goals of REPowerEU. The funds will be directed to projects improving the grid’s operational efficiency, resilience and sustainability, in line with EU decarbonisation and digitalisation objectives.

    EIB Vice-President Gelsomina Vigliotti said: “This agreement shows our growing practical commitment to backing investments to make power grids more modern, sustainable and resilient, benefiting local communities and Italy’s energy transition.”

    AGSM AIM Managing Director Alessandro Russo added: “This new EIB financing confirms our commitment to investing in our longstanding operational areas, making them more modern and sustainable. These technical operations are also strategically important to providing residents and businesses with an efficient power supply able to meet future challenges. The support of an institution like the EIB shows the strength of our business plan and the group’s ability to lead the national energy transition.”

    Background information

    The European Investment Bank (ElB) is the long-term lending institution of the European Union, owned by its Member States. It finances investments that contribute to EU policy objectives. EIB projects bolster competitiveness, drive innovation, promote sustainable development, enhance social and territorial cohesion, and support a just and swift transition to climate neutrality. In the last five years, the EIB Group has provided more than €58 billion in financing for projects in Italy. All projects financed by the EIB Group are in line with the Paris Climate Agreement. The EIB Group does not fund investments in fossil fuels. We are on track to deliver on our commitment to support €1 trillion in climate and environmental sustainability investment in the decade to 2030 as pledged in our Climate Bank Roadmap. Over half of the EIB Group’s annual financing supports projects directly contributing to climate change mitigation and adaptation, and a healthier environment. Approximately half of the EIB’s financing within the European Union is directed towards cohesion regions, where per capita income is lower.

    AGSM AIM Group provides essential services to individuals and products of high added value for the development of businesses, entities and institutions. It operates in the electrical energy, gas, district heating, energy efficiency, street lighting, telecom services, electric mobility and environmental health sectors. Created by the merger of AGSM Verona and AIM Vicenza, the publicly owned group (61.2% owned by the municipality of Verona and 38.8% by the municipality of Vicenza) has positioned itself as a benchmark for the energy, technological, sustainability and digital transitions. Its multi-business model enabled it to record substantial profitability growth in 2024, with solid business performance. Its €1.9 billion in revenue, €182 million EBITDA, over 2 000 employees and 890 000 electricity and gas customers make it one of Italy’s biggest multi-utility companies.

    AGSM AIM ELECTRICITY NETWORK UPGRADE
    EIB provides €120 million to AGSM AIM to strengthen power grid
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    AGSM AIM ELECTRICITY NETWORK UPGRADE
    EIB provides €120 million to AGSM AIM to strengthen power grid
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    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Tailored support for Aberdeen oil and gas workers

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    Press release

    Tailored support for Aberdeen oil and gas workers

    Around 200 oil and gas workers in Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire will be offered tailored support to seize clean energy job opportunities.

    • Around 200 oil and gas workers in Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire will be offered tailored support and funding to help unleash the North Sea’s clean energy future
    • new skills pilot will support a fair and prosperous transition by giving workers the tools and support to move into the thousands of high-quality jobs being created in growth industries like offshore wind, carbon capture and hydrogen – delivering on UK Government’s Plan for Change
    • backed by £900,000, the pilot will be delivered in partnership between the UK Government, Scottish Government and Skills Development Scotland

    Around 200 Aberdeen oil and gas workers are set to benefit from a tailored skills programme launched today (Wednesday 23 July), which will support them to take advantage of the high-quality job opportunities in Scotland’s growing clean energy sector.   

    The Oil and Gas Transition Training Fund, backed by £900,000 of UK Government funding, will help build the pipeline of skilled workers needed to make Britain a clean energy superpower as part of the government’s Plan for Change. 

    The programme is open to current and former oil and gas workers who live in or are employed in Aberdeen or Aberdeenshire, and are interested in moving into roles within clean energy, to take advantage of the thousands of high-quality jobs being created in the clean energy growth industries of the future.

    Successful applicants will receive careers advice and funding towards training courses – supporting local people into opportunities in sectors such as offshore wind, hydrogen and carbon capture and storage, which could include roles in welding, electrical engineering, and construction.

    This underscores the government’s commitment to unleashing the North Sea’s clean energy future and putting workers, communities, families and trade unions at the heart of a prosperous and sustainable transition for oil and gas.     

    Aberdeen is a key growth region for clean energy and is the headquarters of Great British Energy, alongside a thriving offshore wind and carbon capture industry. It is estimated that the offshore wind sector could support up to 100,000 direct and indirect jobs in Great Britain by 2030, with many jobs expected to be generated in other growth areas.  

    The programme will be delivered in partnership between the UK Government, Scottish Government and Skills Development Scotland. 

    Minister for Energy Michael Shanks said:

    Aberdeen has been the energy capital of Britain for decades and while oil and gas will be with us for decades to come, we are determined to make sure that workers are supported to access the thousands of jobs in industries such as offshore wind and carbon capture.  

    This funding will help deliver a fair and prosperous transition in the North Sea, unlocking the full potential of renewable energy and reaping the economic benefits from the skills and experiences of Aberdeen’s workforce.

    Secretary of State for Scotland Ian Murray said:

    It’s great news that this vital skills training in Aberdeen is now going live. We are absolutely committed to supporting Scotland’s world-class oil and gas workers as we transition to clean energy.  

    This pilot will ensure there is a key role for our offshore workers in delivering our net zero future.

    Cabinet Secretary for Climate Action and Energy Gillian Martin said: 

    The North East of Scotland has long been a titan in the oil and gas industry and the expertise within our workforce must be at the heart of driving a just transition to new fuels and sustainable energy. 

    This new Oil and Gas Transition Training Fund will support offshore workers to take on roles in the sustainable energy sector and has been designed and developed by the Scottish Government, supported by funding from UK Government’s Regional Skills Pilot for Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire, and will be delivered by Skills Development Scotland. 

    Through initiatives such as the Just Transition Fund and the Energy Transition Fund, the Scottish Government has already invested £120 million in the North East’s transition to net zero to help create green jobs, support innovation, and secure the highly skilled workforce of the future.

    Skills Development Scotland Chair Frank Mitchell said:

    Scotland’s oil and gas workforce possesses a broad range of skills and experience which is vital to the continued growth of the renewable energy sector. 

    The shift to sustainable energy generation and transmission represents a generational opportunity, and this funding will assist workers in making the most of their expertise in that growing sector. 

    Our careers advisers are available for anyone who needs support in considering their options, or whether applying for the fund is right for them.

    This builds on previous government action to drive investment and deliver the next generation of good jobs for North Sea workers, including: 

    Oil and gas workers are also benefitting from the Energy Skills Passport, in collaboration with industry and Scottish Government, which helps workers to identify routes into several roles in offshore wind including construction and maintenance. This will also be expanded to include more clean energy sectors over time. 

    The Aberdeen pilot is part of the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero Regional Skills Pilots. Funding has already been given to Cheshire West and Chester, North and North East Lincolnshire and Pembrokeshire to identify skills support that is needed in their area. These areas will be considered for further funding for targeted measures. The Aberdeen pilot did not receive funding as part of Phase 1 of the Regional Skills Pilot as extensive skills mapping for Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire has already been undertaken. 

    Sue Ferns OBE, Senior Deputy General Secretary at Prospect union said:

    This is an important announcement which recognises the vital need for more support for workers transitioning away from carbon-intensive jobs. 

    We will only be able realise the government’s ambitious decarbonisation agenda through investing in the workforce in the energy sector, and the progression of these skills pilots is a welcome signal of intent to better support workers to re-skill. The transition will be different for different workers, so it is welcome that this intervention offers flexibility in what training courses will be funded. 

    As the sector continues with the transition it is vital employers are also held to account for helping their workers gain the necessary skills and training, and unions will be working with the Government to ensure employers step up to the plate and provide further support to transitioning workers.

    Katy Heidenreich, Director of Supply Chain and People at Offshore Energies UK said:

    Aberdeen’s integrated energy workforce has the expertise that’s essential for the offshore energy we need today and for the roll out of renewable energy alongside it.  

    The UK’s energy workers have a proud heritage and hold high value jobs in oil and gas, which the nation needs for decades to come.  

    This world-class expertise is essential for building a low carbon, high growth energy future and it’s critical government and industry work together to secure it.

    Russell Borthwick, Chief Executive at the Aberdeen and Grampian Chamber of Commerce said: 

    The North East of Scotland will be the engine room for the UK’s energy transition. As we pivot from oil and gas to renewables and new technology it’s vital that our workforce is leading that process – not left behind.  

    We welcome investment in the skills needed to unlock the opportunity ahead. Matching these skills with sustainable career paths will depend upon a strong future pipeline of projects, a stable policy landscape and a clear consensus between industry and government on the direction of travel.

    Case study

    Many oil and gas workers have already made the transition. Aishawarya Lakshmanann started as an electrical engineer in oil and gas in Aberdeen, before moving into clean energy and is now working for Ocean Winds on an offshore wind farm. She said: 

    Being able to lead a sustainable life has always been my dream and is what drove me towards the renewables sector.  

    As an engineer I worked in the oil and gas sector from 2018, and it made me rethink how we use our natural energy resources. The UK’s thriving renewable energy sector aligns perfectly with my life and career goals.  

    My transition from oil and gas into renewables has been hugely beneficial for me, allowing me to build a more sustainable life and make a positive impact on the issues we face globally.  

    The idea of creating a carbon neutral world fascinates me as an engineer and working for a major offshore wind company is providing a great place to learn and grow alongside brilliant minds. It’s great to see the funding announcement from UK government to support others to make the transition.

    Notes to editors

    The Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire Regional Skills Pilot was announced in January.

    The Regional Skills Pilot comes from the Office for Clean Energy Skills Fund and has been awarded to the following regions: 

    • North and North East Lincolnshire-Midlands Net Zero Hub hosted by Nottingham City Council 
    • Cheshire West and Chester – North West Net Zero Hub – overseen by Local Enterprise Partnerships and Combined Authorities in the North West 
    • Pembrokeshire – Welsh Government  *Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire- Scottish Government. 

    To be eligible, applicants must be resident or work for an employer in the oil and gas sector with an office in the Aberdeen City or Aberdeenshire area or have worked in the oil and gas sector within the last 2 years. 

    Further information regarding eligibility and how to apply can be found at: Oil and Gas Transition Training Fund.

    Up to 100,000 jobs supported by offshore wind in Great Britain by 2030: This includes direct and indirect jobs. Information on the methodology underpinning this estimate can be found here: Job estimates for wind generation by 2030: methodology note. 

    North Sea oil and gas production is in natural decline, with a 72% reduction in production occurring between 1999 and 2023, so embracing clean energy is the route to the jobs and investment of the future.  

    This natural decline of oil and gas in the North Sea is already having an impact on jobs and will continue to do so. ONS figures show that direct jobs in oil and gas extraction fell by around a third between 2014 and 2023, despite ongoing domestic licensing and production.

    Updates to this page

    Published 23 July 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Pilot to support oil and gas workers in the North East

    Source: Scottish Government

    Oil and Gas Transition Training Fund launched.

    Oil and gas workers in the North East will be able to access tailored support to help them transition into the sustainable energy sector thanks to a new programme launched today. 

    The Oil and Gas Transition Training Fund will enable successful applicants to access careers advice and funding for training to move into sectors such as offshore wind, onshore wind, hydrogen and carbon capture. 

    It is expected to support around 200 oil and gas workers in Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire to build the skills needed to access sustainable energy jobs and has been designed and developed by the Scottish Government, working in partnership with UK Government’s £900,000 Regional Skills Pilot for Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire. The fund will be delivered by Skills Development Scotland and has been supported by an additional £40,000 from the Scottish Government.

    Through initiatives such as the Just Transition Fund and the Energy Transition Fund, the Scottish Government has already invested over £120 million into transitioning the North East to net zero by creating green jobs, supporting innovation, and securing the highly skilled workforce of the future.

    Cabinet Secretary for Climate Action and Energy Gillian Martin said: 

    “The North East has long been a titan in the oil and gas industry and the valuable expertise within our workforce must be at the heart of the transition to new fuels and sustainable energy.

    “This new Oil and Gas Transition Training Fund will support offshore workers to take on roles in the sustainable energy sector and has been designed and developed by the Scottish Government, supported by funding from UK Government’s Regional Skills Pilot for Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire, and will be delivered by Skills Development Scotland.

    “I am determined to ensure a positive impact and powerful legacy of Scotland’s clean energy revolution which benefits communities across the North East of the country.”

    Skills Development Scotland Chair Frank Mitchell said:

    “Scotland’s oil and gas workforce possesses a broad range of skills and experience which is vital to the continued growth of the renewable energy sector.

    “The shift to sustainable energy generation and transmission represents a generational opportunity, and this funding will assist workers in making the most of their expertise in that growing sector.

    “Our careers advisers are available for anyone who needs support in considering their options, or whether applying for the fund is right for them.”

    UK Government Minister for Energy Michael Shanks said:

    “Aberdeen has been the energy capital of Britain for decades and while oil and gas will be with us for decades to come, we are determined to make sure that workers are supported to access the thousands of jobs in industries such as offshore wind and carbon capture.  

    “This funding will help deliver a fair and prosperous transition in the North Sea, unlocking the full potential of renewable energy and reaping the economic benefits from the skills and experiences of Aberdeen’s workforce.” 

    Background 

    Further information on eligibility and how to apply can be found at: https://transitiontrainingfund.scot/

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: UK and Türkiye agree big step towards multi-billion-pound export of Typhoon fighter jets

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    Press release

    UK and Türkiye agree big step towards multi-billion-pound export of Typhoon fighter jets

    A multi-billion-pound export deal of Typhoon fighter jets to Türkiye – which could secure thousands of skilled UK jobs – is a significant step closer today, following the signing of an agreement that will also strengthen the UK-Türkiye partnership.

    • Defence Ministers of UK and Türkiye sign agreement in Istanbul, a major step towards the export of Typhoon fighter jets to Türkiye.

    • Agreement strengthens NATO’s collective deterrence and builds on years of defence cooperation and growing industrial ties between UK and Türkiye.

    • 20,000 UK jobs are supported by Typhoon programme, with exports set to secure thousands of UK production line jobs, delivering on the Government’s Plan for Change.  

    Defence Secretary John Healey and Defence Minister Yaşar Güler signed the Memorandum of Understanding at the International Defence Industry Fair in Istanbul. Building on years of defence cooperation, they agreed that a future Typhoon exports deal would strengthen Türkiye’s advanced combat capabilities and help sustain the 20,000 UK jobs involved in the Typhoon programme here at home.

    Negotiations on the potential deal with Türkiye will now continue over the coming weeks. It would be the first export order the UK has secured for Typhoon since 2017.

    By securing thousands of jobs on UK production lines, the Government will be delivering on our Plan for Change by driving defence as an engine for economic growth.

    Prime Minister Keir Starmer said:

    The UK’s production of Typhoon fighter jets is an engine for economic growth – supporting the lives and livelihoods of thousands of British people right across the UK. 

    Signing a multi-billion export deal with Türkiye will sustain and protect 20,000 UK jobs for future years to come – which is why my government is so dedicated to securing it. It will bolster our vital defence industry, deliver on our Plan for Change and keep us and our allies safer during these uncertain times.

    Defence Secretary John Healey MP said:

    Today’s agreement is a big step towards Türkiye buying UK Typhoon fighter jets. It shows this government’s determination to secure new defence deals, building on our relationships abroad to deliver for British working people.

    Equipping Türkiye with Typhoons would strengthen NATO’s collective defence, and boost both our countries’ industrial bases by securing thousands of skilled jobs across the UK for years to come.

    Last month’s Strategic Defence Review stressed the importance of exports, and now with our new defence exports office, we are developing defence’s role as an engine for economic growth as a foundation of the government’s Plan for Change.” 

    It comes as the Defence Secretary John Healey makes the drive for new defence export deals a high priority.

    The Ministry of Defence is preparing to take on responsibility for defence exports from 31st July, in a significant step of delivery for the Strategic Defence Review. The defence exports team will back British businesses on the global stage, drive potential exports and seek to enhance economic growth.

    The latest statistics show UK defence exports were valued at £14.5 billion in just a 12-month period. Following the SDR’s direction, it moves responsibility for defence exports from the Department for Business and Trade, making the MOD the lead for securing deals for military equipment with our allies.

    The Typhoon workshare agreement would see more than a third (37%) of each aircraft manufactured in the UK; the rest of each aircraft would be produced by the Eurofighter Partner Nations. Final production at BAE Systems’ Warton site would include radars from Edinburgh and engines from Bristol, helping secure thousands of UK jobs.

    Charles Woodburn, Chief Executive, BAE Systems said:

    This Memorandum of Understanding between the Governments of Türkiye and the UK underscores the importance of their long-standing defence co-operation through NATO and the critical role Typhoon plays in security and defence in Europe and the Middle East.

    The UK also continues to invest in its own world-class Typhoon fleet, which will remain the backbone of the UK’s air defence until at least the 2040s. The RAF’s existing Typhoons are being upgraded over the next 15 years, supporting skilled jobs across the UK.

    Updates to this page

    Published 23 July 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Statement on the meeting of the Defence Ministers of the United Kingdom and the Republic of Türkiye

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    News story

    Statement on the meeting of the Defence Ministers of the United Kingdom and the Republic of Türkiye

    The Defence Ministers of the United Kingdom and the Republic of Türkiye today reaffirmed the strength of the UK-Türkiye partnership.

    The Defence Ministers of the United Kingdom and the Republic of Türkiye welcomed the opportunity to meet at the 17th International Defence Industry Fair in Istanbul today and reaffirmed the strength of the UK-Türkiye partnership. They underscored the importance of the two countries’ longstanding defence cooperation, including collaboration through NATO and growing ties in defence industry and security. Both Ministers committed to deepening this strategic partnership in support of the Alliance’s collective deterrence.

    The two nations continue to make excellent progress on the export of Eurofighter Typhoon. Welcoming Türkiye as a Typhoon operator would build on the bonds of friendship developed over many decades between key NATO Allies and would be a significant step towards enhancing Türkiye’s advanced combat air capabilities. This will mark the start of a new chapter in the UK-Türkiye partnership, working together to strengthen capability collaboration and supporting both countries’ defence industries through the reciprocal purchase of word-leading equipment.

    The Defence Ministers have today jointly signed a Memorandum of Understanding. This document codifies the relationship between the countries, taking them one step closer to a full agreement on Typhoon. Both Ministers welcome signature as a positive step towards bringing Türkiye into the Typhoon club and share a mutual ambition to conclude the necessary arrangements as soon as possible.

    Updates to this page

    Published 23 July 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • Heavy rain lashes Telangana, disrupts normal life

    Source: Government of India

    Source: Government of India (4)

    Heavy rain lashed several parts of Telangana, inundating low-lying areas, cutting off villages and disrupting normal life.

    North Telangana districts have been receiving copious rain since Tuesday night.

    Rivulets, lakes and ponds were overflowing in agency areas of Mulugu district, which recorded the highest rainfall of 25.5 cm during the last 24 hours.

    Villages in Venkatapuram mandal of Mulugu district were marooned. With their houses completely inundated, villagers spent a sleepless night. Venkatapuram-Bhadrachalam main road was submerged, bringing the vehicular traffic to a complete halt.

    Eturanagam mandal in Mulugu district recorded 18.4 cm rainfall while Mangapet received 15.8 cm.

    United Karimnagar district has been receiving heavy rain since early Wednesday morning. Some colonies in Karimnagar town were inundated. Flood water entered houses and shops in parts of the town.

    Heavy rain affected coal production in the mines of state-owned Singareni Collieries Company Limited (SCCL).

    Coal production was disrupted in four open-cast mines in Peddapalli district. About 40,000 tonnes of coal are produced in these mines every day.

    Flood water entered the open-cast mine at Yellandu in Bhadradri Kothagudem district. The employees deployed motors to pump out water.

    Production of 3,500 tonnes of coal came to a halt due to flooding.

    Heavy rain was also lashing Warangal, Jangaon, Mahabubabad and Khammam districts.

    The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast heavy to very heavy rain in north and Central Telangana districts on Wednesday.

    Heavy to very heavy rain is likely in Adilabad, Komaram Bheem Asifabad, Mancherial, Jayashankar Bhupalapally, Mulugu and Bhadradri Kothagudem districts. The IMD has issued an orange alert for these districts.

    Heavy rain has been forecast for Nirmal, Nizamabad, Jagtial, Rajanna Sircilla, Karimnagar, Peddapalli, Hanamkonda, Warangal, Jangaon, Mahabubabad, Khammam, Vikarabad and Mahabubnagar districts. These districts have been issued a yellow alert.

    The IMD has forecast light to moderate rain in Hyderabad and remaining districts.

    Cyberabad Police have advised IT companies to consider following Work from Home mode on Wednesday in view of rain alert.

    “An alert has been issued for heavy rain in the Cyberabad area, considering the safety, productivity, traffic congestion and to ensure uninterrupted emergency services. Companies may consider following Work from Home (WFH) mode on 23- 07- 2025 – Wednesday,” read an advisory issued by the Cyberabad Police.

    (IANS)

  • Heavy rain lashes Telangana, disrupts normal life

    Source: Government of India

    Source: Government of India (4)

    Heavy rain lashed several parts of Telangana, inundating low-lying areas, cutting off villages and disrupting normal life.

    North Telangana districts have been receiving copious rain since Tuesday night.

    Rivulets, lakes and ponds were overflowing in agency areas of Mulugu district, which recorded the highest rainfall of 25.5 cm during the last 24 hours.

    Villages in Venkatapuram mandal of Mulugu district were marooned. With their houses completely inundated, villagers spent a sleepless night. Venkatapuram-Bhadrachalam main road was submerged, bringing the vehicular traffic to a complete halt.

    Eturanagam mandal in Mulugu district recorded 18.4 cm rainfall while Mangapet received 15.8 cm.

    United Karimnagar district has been receiving heavy rain since early Wednesday morning. Some colonies in Karimnagar town were inundated. Flood water entered houses and shops in parts of the town.

    Heavy rain affected coal production in the mines of state-owned Singareni Collieries Company Limited (SCCL).

    Coal production was disrupted in four open-cast mines in Peddapalli district. About 40,000 tonnes of coal are produced in these mines every day.

    Flood water entered the open-cast mine at Yellandu in Bhadradri Kothagudem district. The employees deployed motors to pump out water.

    Production of 3,500 tonnes of coal came to a halt due to flooding.

    Heavy rain was also lashing Warangal, Jangaon, Mahabubabad and Khammam districts.

    The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast heavy to very heavy rain in north and Central Telangana districts on Wednesday.

    Heavy to very heavy rain is likely in Adilabad, Komaram Bheem Asifabad, Mancherial, Jayashankar Bhupalapally, Mulugu and Bhadradri Kothagudem districts. The IMD has issued an orange alert for these districts.

    Heavy rain has been forecast for Nirmal, Nizamabad, Jagtial, Rajanna Sircilla, Karimnagar, Peddapalli, Hanamkonda, Warangal, Jangaon, Mahabubabad, Khammam, Vikarabad and Mahabubnagar districts. These districts have been issued a yellow alert.

    The IMD has forecast light to moderate rain in Hyderabad and remaining districts.

    Cyberabad Police have advised IT companies to consider following Work from Home mode on Wednesday in view of rain alert.

    “An alert has been issued for heavy rain in the Cyberabad area, considering the safety, productivity, traffic congestion and to ensure uninterrupted emergency services. Companies may consider following Work from Home (WFH) mode on 23- 07- 2025 – Wednesday,” read an advisory issued by the Cyberabad Police.

    (IANS)

  • World Court is poised to mark the future course of climate litigation

    Source: Government of India

    Source: Government of India (4)

    The United Nations’ highest court will deliver an opinion on Wednesday that is likely to determine the course of future climate action across the world.

    Known as an advisory opinion, the deliberation of the 15 judges of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague is legally non-binding. It nevertheless carries legal and political weight and future climate cases would be unable to ignore it, legal experts say.

    “The advisory opinion is probably the most consequential in the history of the court because it clarifies international law obligations to avoid catastrophic harm that would imperil the survival of humankind,” said Payam Akhavan, an international law professor.

    In two weeks of hearings last December at the ICJ, also known as the World Court, Akhavan represented low-lying, small island states that face an existential threat from rising sea levels.

    In all, over a hundred states and international organisations gave their views on the two questions the U.N. General Assembly had asked the judges to consider.

    They were: what are countries’ obligations under international law to protect the climate from greenhouse gas emissions; and what are the legal consequences for countries that harm the climate system?

    Wealthy countries of the Global North told the judges that existing climate treaties, including the 2015 Paris Agreement, which are largely non-binding, should be the basis for deciding their responsibilities.

    Developing nations and small island states argued for stronger measures, in some cases legally binding, to curb emissions and for the biggest emitters of climate-warming greenhouse gases to provide financial aid.

    PARIS AGREEMENT AND AN UPSURGE IN LITIGATION

    In 2015, at the conclusion of U.N. talks in Paris, more than 190 countries committed to pursue efforts to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit).

    The agreement has failed to curb the growth of global greenhouse gas emissions.

    Late last year, in the most recent “Emissions Gap Report,” which takes stock of countries’ promises to tackle climate change compared with what is needed, the U.N said that current climate policies will result in global warming of more than 3 C (5.4 F) above pre-industrial levels by 2100.

    As campaigners seek to hold companies and governments to account, climate‑related litigation has intensified, with nearly 3,000 cases filed across almost 60 countries, according to June figures from London’s Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment.

    So far, the results have been mixed.

    A German court in May threw out a case between a Peruvian farmer and German energy giant RWE RWEG.DE, but his lawyers and environmentalists said the case, which dragged on for a decade, was a still victory for climate cases that could spur similar lawsuits.

    Earlier this month, the Inter-American Court of Human Rights, which holds jurisdiction over 20 Latin American and Caribbean countries, said in another advisory opinion its members must cooperate to tackle climate change.

    Campaigners say Wednesday’s court opinion should be a turning point and that, even if the ruling itself is advisory, it should provide for the determination that U.N. member states have broken the international law they have signed up to uphold.

    “The court can affirm that climate inaction, especially by major emitters, is not merely a policy failure but a breach of international law,” said Fijian Vishal Prasad, one of the law students that lobbied the government of Vanuatu in the South Pacific Ocean to bring the case to the ICJ.

    Although it is theoretically possible to ignore an ICJ ruling, lawyers say countries are typically reluctant to do so.

    “This opinion is applying binding international law, which countries have already committed to. National and regional courts will be looking to this opinion as a persuasive authority and this will inform judgments with binding consequences under their own legal systems,” Joie Chowdhury, senior attorney at the Center for International Environmental Law, said.

    The court will start reading out its opinion at 3 p.m. (1300 GMT).

    (Reuters)