Science-Policy Panel for Toxic Threats
Since 2022, governments have come together to discuss how a new Science-Policy Panel on chemicals, waste, and pollution will function. CIEL has worked alongside partners to advocate for policies that are inclusive of Indigenous Peoples’ voices and independent scientists and to safeguard the process from undue influence by industries with vested interests. We need to see independent — not industry-manipulated, manufactured, and funded — science guide future policies.
Rapid Response to Petrochemical Dangers
Did you know that, on average, the US experiences a petrochemical-related incident every four days? In 2023 alone, there were 96 such incidents, many releasing additional toxic, dangerous, and carcinogenic chemicals into communities already experiencing elevated air and water pollution from permitted daily industrial emissions.
CIEL is tracking and highlighting these incidents, exposing the persistent and growing threats that petrochemical production poses to communities, climate, health, and human rights. This year, we elevated the stories of more than 50 petrochemical-related fires, explosions, leaks, and accidents. Our rapid response team is creating tools to support movement partners and impacted communities, mobilizing timely background research, identifying trends, naming corporate actors, and amplifying demands for corporate and governmental accountability.
A New Global Chemical Framework
In 2023, after years of negotiations, States adopted the new Global Framework on Chemicals, marking a significant step toward a toxic-free planet. This framework will guide the management of chemicals across their lifecycle through 2035. CIEL, involved in these discussions since 2015, will continue shaping progress to ensure it improves human health, human rights, and environmental protection.
Ending a Toxic Alliance
The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) officially ended its controversial partnership with the pesticide lobby group CropLife International. CIEL, alongside farmers, Indigenous Peoples, and advocates, pushed for years, sending letters and organizing protests to demand that FAO sever ties with the harmful pesticide industry. This victory marks a milestone toward a healthier future for communities and the environment.
Indigenous Resistance to Line 5
CIEL and partners’ advocacy intensified pressure on Enbridge, as well as the US and Canadian governments, to shut down the aging Line 5 oil pipeline, which threatens the Great Lakes and Indigenous communities. CIEL helped secure recommendations from the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues and increased scrutiny from UN bodies, spotlighting the pipeline’s harmful impacts on Indigenous Peoples’ lives, livelihoods, and cultures.
Offshore Oil and Gas
As fossil fuel companies face mounting resistance from frontline communities on land, they are increasingly turning offshore, with over 30 percent of new oil and gas projects now occurring at sea. But community opposition doesn’t end at the shoreline. CIEL is strengthening the global movement against offshore oil and gas activity, producing new research on its risks, and mobilizing diverse stakeholders in this fight. Through submissions from fisherfolk and affected communities, we secured a strong recommendation from the UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food regarding the damage of offshore oil and gas activity on coastal lives and livelihoods.
Panama Campaign Updates
Despite violent repression from the government, our Indigenous Ngäbe, Buglé, and Campesino partners in Panama have remained steadfast in opposing the proposed electrical transmission line that threatens their ancestral lands, livelihoods, and community. This year, supported by CIEL, the International Finance Corporation (IFC) agreed to protect the community’s right to free, prior, and informed consent (FPIC) regarding development projects in their territory.
Climate Risk & Insurance
In US states such as California, Florida, and North Carolina, homeowners face a growing insurance crisis, with rising premiums and increasing rates of uninsurability. CIEL is making it clear: this is not just an insurance crisis. It’s part of the broader climate crisis, and if left unchecked, it could quickly escalate into housing and financial crises. CIEL, alongside the Insure Our Future Campaign and other partners, is challenging insurance industry practices that both contribute to and profit from climate risk to accelerate the transition away from fossil fuels.