Last month saw an important victory for communities fighting against the toxic Waste to Energy (WTE) incineration plants in Gujarat. Due to tremendous on-ground resistance, multiple follow-up letters and CSO engagement with the International Finance Corporation (IFC) board, the World Bank has withdrawn from the proposed funding of USD 40 million for building four WTE plants in Gujarat. However, Indian financial institutions such as the Power Finance Corporation (PFC) and the Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency (IREDA) continue to fund these projects and new projects too have been announced in Chennai. The rejection of the loan by IFC is an opportunity for the municipal corporations in India to rethink their waste management strategies and move away from such toxic fixes.
On 28 February 2025, a joint submission was made by 12 Indian civil society groups to the United Nations Human Rights Council. The Human Rights Council is an intergovernmental body within the United Nations system, composed of 47 States, responsible for the promotion and protection of all human rights worldwide. The submission is intended to inform the thematic report of the Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights in the context of climate change to be presented at the 59th session of the Human Rights Council.
The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights’ call for inputs aims to advance understanding on how to respect, protect and fulfil all human rights, while preventing harm and ensuring non-discrimination, in the context of a just transition away from fossil fuels and the phase-out of fossil fuel subsidies. The call is to highlight the current and potential human rights impacts of the transition away from fossil fuels and the phase-out of fossil fuel subsidies. It also seeks to support the protection of human rights in the context of the phasing out of fossil fuel subsidies, identifying areas of impediment and sharing good practices and lessons in regulating a fossil fuel-based economy. Additionally, the call also invited proposals for a just transition away from fossil fuels, in order to protect all human rights, consider interrelationships (A/HRC/56/46), and contribute to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals, in particular Goals 13 and 14.
Additionally, in his inauguration speech, U.S. President Donald Trump declared a National Energy Emergency for the country and repeated his mantra of ‘drill, baby, drill’ to make America a manufacturing nation once again. While this rhetoric may resonate with some, it comes at a crucial time in our fight against climate change, where limiting our greenhouse gas emissions and transitioning away from dirty fossil fuels to cleaner energy is more urgent than ever.
Analysts warn that this reversal of energy transition pathways has also led other countries like Indonesia and oil firms to embrace fossil fuels and ditch clean energy policies. The initial analysis by Climate Analytics and the non-profit consortium Climate Action Tracker suggests that, by 2030, the Trump administration’s policies could raise cumulative US emissions by the equivalent of 2 billion to 4 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide, a staggering setback for our climate goals.
As these regressive policies unfold, we must watch out for the implications waiting to unwind in the upcoming days and months, and particularly, what it means to the world’s third-largest oil importer and consumer – India. And, most importantly, how increasingly placing profit before people is going to benefit corporations while exacerbating the impacts on vulnerable populations in the face of a worsening climate crisis.
— Energy Team at CFA