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Critical Native American Water Rights Cases Come Before the Supreme Court: Arizona v. Navajo Nation

Legal Planet

Remarkably, however, and despite the fact that the federal government negotiated two important 19th century treaties with the Navajo Nation, the U.S. government has never seen fit to expressly provide federal water rights to the Nation to make its expansive reservation fully habitable. Navajo Nation and U.S. Navajo Nation.

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EPA Needs to Listen to the Public. Will New Public Participation Guidance Help?

Union of Concerned Scientists

This guidance is an update to EPA’s 2003 Public Involvement Policy , aimed at establishing clearer processes around how the agency engages with the public in regulatory and non-regulatory decisions, and “ensure that EPA makes decisions with an understanding of the interests and concerns of the interested and affected public.”

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Brazil Advances in Climate Change Litigation

Legal Planet

The new wave of litigation also arose from the urgency of combating the rise in deforestation under the right-wing-oriented President Jair Bolsonaro, who left the government in January 2023 for the return of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (Lula). The decision was made in a lawsuit filed by four political parties (PSB et al.

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Netflix’s “Painkiller” Series Reminds Us: Sidelining Science Can Be Deadly 

Union of Concerned Scientists

The story illustrates the critical importance of the role science plays in government decisions and the harsh reality of what can happen without it. When science is sidelined in government decisions, it truly can impact the lives of people in serious and often harsh ways.  

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ExxonMobil Accurately Projected Rising Temperatures While Publicly Disparaging Climate Science

Union of Concerned Scientists

This new research found that ExxonMobil’s climate projections from its internally developed models accurately projected the temperature rise that has happened since then and that its calculations were in line with independent research produced at the time by academic and government scientists. Let’s dig into what Supran et al.’s

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Cultural Heritage is a Human Right. Climate Change is Fast Eroding It.

Union of Concerned Scientists

Some sites and traditional practices that need protection for future generations are recognized under UNESCO’s 1972 World Heritage Convention , and the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Heritage , and more are being added to the protected lists every year. What’s next for climate and cultural rights?

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World Heritage Committee Ignores UNESCO Recommendation to List Venice as Endangered

Union of Concerned Scientists

Work on the barriers began in 2003 and after being beset by planning, engineering and corruption issues (and with the cost having ballooned to more than $8 billion) they were first raised to prevent a serious flood in October 2020. Part of the MOSE flood barrier under construction. MOSE Venezia.

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